Unexpected Destiny
by faithandhopewoman
Summary: A story about the twists and turns life takes to find the life one was destined to live.
1. Finding Strenghth

Setting the scene

As Maria walked closer to the villa she could hear seven children trying to sing about their favorite things. She announced her presence by singing with them. They rushed to her for hugs as she tried to keep from being knocked over by them. She was very happy.

"Kurt, how are you?"

"Hungry."

She laughed along with the others. "I have so much to tell you."

The children became quiet. Brigitta inhaled deeply and told her. "We have things to tell you. Father's going to marry."

Then Louisa added. "Yes, to Baroness Schraeder."

Suddenly Maria's smile left her. She stood still and gazed at nothing. The ache in her chest was intense.

Then the very man who made her heart race like a freight train and caused her unable to breathe stood on the veranda and Maria thought. _God give me strength._

"Good evening _,_ " she heard him say before he sent the children inside to have their dinner. Then he continued. "You left without saying goodbye, not even to the children."

"It was wrong of me. Forgive me."

And lines appeared on her face between her eyes as she developed a scowl. Her eyes glistened and she swallowed hard.

At that moment the Baroness came from the villa and stood beside the captain. Somehow Maria managed to speak.

"Congratulations Baroness, you too Captain. The children told me you will marry."

"Thank you my dear." The Baroness responded rather blandly.

Maria's emotions were about to show; she had real tears in her eyes as she walked briskly towards the door. But the captain had one more question.

"You are back to stay?"

"Only until you find a new governess."

And Maria hurried inside the villa.

* * *

Finding Strength

Maria ran down the hall passing the dining room so fast none of the children saw her. She made it to her room where she fell on her bed and cried into her pillow. She stopped crying in a few minutes but continued to lie there.

 _Now what do I do?_ She thought.

God answered her.

 _Trust in the LORD with all your heart_ _and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your path straight._

And Maria accepted the words of the Psalmist. "God! I will trust you to make my path straight."

With firm resolve she changed her dress; the one she was wearing belonged to a recent postulant. It was too nice for playing with seven children. She decided to wear the dress she had on when she fell out of the boat.

By now the children had finished eating and were waiting outside her bedroom door. She heard them; seven children can make noise even when they try to be quiet. Then one of them knocked on her door. Maria didn't hesitate to open it.

"Fräulein Maria, are you going to be with us for a while?"

"Yes Liesl, until your father finds you a new governess."

"Then, what will you do?"

"Hopefully by then I will have found the life God gave me before I was born."

"Will you return to the abbey?"

"No, that door has been shut. That's enough serious talk. Why don't we get away from the villa and go to the park?"

"We'll go get ready and meet you at the veranda door."

"Perfect children."

Seven eager children quickly used the bathroom and almost ran down the stairs to the veranda door where Maria was waiting. None of them knew they were seen. Georg was in his study. He smiled and thought. _Good, they're no longer sad._

His smile was subdued when Elsa joined him. "Our dinner is waiting darling. We can begin to plan our wedding."

"Of course darling, I can finish writing in my journal later."

Now he hoped she wouldn't ask what he had been writing. It had been. _My secret is still unknown. Not sure for how long._

Their conversation during dinner was one-sided; Elsa did all the talking. Georg listened. His mind was elsewhere.

In the meantime, Maria and the children had arrived at the park. It had all the usual playground equipment; swings, slides, a seesaw, monkey bars and a playground merry-go-round.

They expended a lot of pent-up energy before returning home. Their father and the Baroness were just leaving the dining room.

"Children you're filthy! I hope you plan on bathing before you go to bed."

"Yes father, but we had loads of fun with our Fräulein. And tomorrow we're going on a picnic." Friedrich answered.

Elsa smiled as she had the evening of the puppet show; it was forced and fake. And she didn't want any more interaction with them.

"Georg, I'm going to my room. We can continue our wedding planning in the morning."

"Very well. Good night, darling."

Maria watched her walk away as she was thinking. _I thought engaged couples kissed when they parted for the evening._ Then she quickly said.

"Children, say good night to your father; you have baths to take."

Seven children shouted. "Good night Father." And cheerfully went upstairs to bathe and go to bed.

It took the children over an hour to do so. Maria even had to read three stories to Marta and Gretl before they fell asleep because they were so excited she had returned.

Maria prayed the Evening Prayers. _May I know the Lord God Almighty. You are the true and never-failing Light. May it shine in our hearts forever._

With that prayer in her mind and heart, Maria gave her worries to the Lord and fell asleep.


	2. The Picnic

The Picnic

Morning had come to the villa; there was no sleeping late for the von Trapp children. They had dressed and were in the hall. When Maria woke, she heard their voices. She had to hold her laugh when she heard Kurt say.

"I'm so glad the Baroness isn't coming with us on our picnic."

Maria opened her door to see seven children dressed and sitting on the floor. "Why are you awake this early?"

"We're happy you are here and also because we're going on a picnic."

"I see. Kurt, do you still need breakfast?"

"Me miss a meal? Of course I do!"

"Just checking, as Brigitta would say. I need to dress."

All the children got the giggles.

Maria didn't keep them waiting. Her dress from yesterday wasn't dirty so she wore it again. It was also perfect for a picnic.

When they arrived in the dining room, Maria was surprised to see the captain there.

"Sir, are you waiting for the Baroness?"

"No, she doesn't wake up this early."

They exchanged slight smiles before they heard.

"Fräulein Maria, I'll say grace."

"Thank you, Marta."

"God is great.  
And God is good.  
And God made the food we eat.  
We give you thanks. Amen."

 _Amen_ was said by everyone. And Franz began to serve. First was a serving of fruit. He watched as Kurt almost inhaled his.

"Kurt, do you want the extra serving?"

"I'll take it Franz. I'll still have room for the real food."

"I never doubted you would."

And Maria noted that even the captain was smiling as all the children got a case of the giggles.

The main breakfast meal, of scrambled eggs, sausage, platters of biscuits and pastries, was also consumed. Nothing was left.

"Children, I'll meet you in the classroom; you still have lessons to finish."

They hurried off and Maria proceeded to follow them. Instead she heard.

"Fräulein, thank you."

"For what sir?"

"For returning my children's smiles and making them happy again."

His answer caught her off guard. She needed to think of a response. Suddenly she spoke.

"Captain, you can make them smile and be happy. You did it once – you can do it again. Excuse me, I need to go to the classroom."

Maria hurried away; almost holding her breath. She had no idea where her words came from; she had surprised herself.

When she arrived in the classroom the children were sitting in their seats with their hands folded.

"Are you eager to finish your lessons on America?"

"Yes, Fräulein Maria. We want to learn more about the colonies." Friedrich answered for all of them.

"Okay, let's review the ones we already discussed, starting with the one in the north. Who can tell me its name?"

Seven eager hands went up. "Louisa tell us."

"It was named New Hampshire."

"Correct. Can you tell me the next one?"

"It's Massachusetts."

"And who can tell me the other two colonies in the north."

Maria saw Marta raise her hand first. "Okay Marta, tell us."

"One is New York and the other is Rhode Island."

"Very good Marta."

Kurt anticipated his Fräulein next question. "I can name the middle colonies."

"Tell us Kurt."

"They are New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware."

"Excellent Kurt. Let's turn our attention to the ones in the south. There are five of them. Those are their names I wrote on the blackboard. I want you to copy them in your notebooks."

They wrote these names: Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.

Maria walked around the classroom and saw them all writing. Liesl was first to make a comment.

"I still find it amazing that all these colonies formed one nation which America now call States. I remember after the Great War the Austro-Hungarian Empire was in shambles. All the people wanted their own nation. Border guards prevented people from entering them unless they had papers. It was almost impossible to buy food. And Father lost his navy; the port was given to Italy."

"Liesl, I too remember the end of the Great War. Austria entered a time when it's officials didn't believe in God. I never told you my parents both died by the time I was nine. My first guardian brought me up in the church. But my faith wasn't strong; I was persuaded to become a non-believer. But God intervened; and I became a believer again."

And a voice from the hall spoke. "Fräulein, I couldn't help but hear your story. Children, you should learn from it; you never know it could happen again."

"Really Father?"

"Yes Friedrich. A man named Adolph Hitler rules Germany now; he has many rules about worshiping God."

Georg stopped there. He knew this wasn't the time to tell them Hitler's desire to join Austria with Germany. He did notice Maria's demeanor and thought. _She didn't know either._

In a moment, another voice was heard. "There you are, darling."

"Good morning, Elsa. I was listening to Fräulein Maria's lesson. Her lesson today was about America."

"You approve." Elsa questioned.

"Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?"

"It's far away; it's not important. Are you going to join me for breakfast?"

"Yes Elsa, I'll sit with you." But Georg thought. _It is important to me._

Elsa ate while her food was hot; then she began to talk about the wedding. "Georg, I'll look at the shop here in Salzburg for my gown but I'm not expecting to find the perfect one. I will probably need to return to Vienna for it."

"You have plenty of time; we haven't set a date."

"Yes, I know. Let me go get ready. Can Franz drive me into town?"

"Yes, I'll tell him to bring the car out front."

Now Georg watched the car go down the lane. "Good, I'm free to be with my children. Let me go see if they have finished their lesson." He spoke to no one.

Georg found they had finished their lesson. He heard Maria. "I'll go get the food basket and meet you by the door to the veranda."

Kurt saw his father. "Are you coming with us?"

"I enjoy doing anything with my children."

Maria saw him with the children. He immediately told her. "Elsa left for town to look for her gown. Do you mind if I come along?"

"Not at all. Katia always packs more than enough food." But Maria did have a thought. _His engagement to the Baroness really is strange._

Georg knew where they were headed. His villa sat on a huge plot of land. They walked through the garden and the orchard. Then they passed through the pasture land for their cows before arriving at the picnic site.

It was in the part of the land the city of Salzburg maintained. There was another road which other families who lived in Aigen could use to enjoy it. There were several picnic tables.

And Kurt helped his Fräulein take the food from the basket.

"Is this your way of telling me you're hungry?"

"Yes Fräulein Maria, breakfast was a long time ago."

"Then I suppose we need to say grace so you can eat."

"I will." He had to wait for his siblings' giggles to subside before he began.

"Thank you God for the food you made.  
Now we can eat. Amen!"

And the giggles were louder than before. Georg and Maria glanced at each other and shook their heads.

They ate everything. Now the beautiful sunny day wasn't sunny anymore. It was the month when rain clouds developed suddenly. Maria saw them.

"Captain, we should leave; those clouds are moving this way."

They quickly gathered everything; Georg carried the basket. They had to run the last few meters; they barely made it inside before the dark clouds dropped sheets of rain.

"That was close Captain."

"It certainly was. Do you have plans for the afternoon?"

"Music class Captain."

He roared in laughter. "Fräulein, you needn't use music class as an excuse for my children singing. It's only public singing I frown on."

"I just wanted to be sure."

They sang for much of the afternoon. Maria knew not to tire young voices. She had them do their reading.

And then the moment Georg dreaded, came; Elsa returned from town.

He was sitting in his study when he heard. "Thank you, Franz for the ride."

Georg knew he had to greet her. He came from his study; he didn't rush to her nor she to him. Georg reluctantly asked. "Were you successful?"

"No. It was as I expected. I'll need to return to Vienna. I'll take the early morning train. I'm going to my room to rest. Please ask the cook to bring my meal there."

"I will, darling."

And Georg thought. _So that's her excuse for returning to Vienna._

 **A/N:** Some of this story describes the real von Trapp home in Salzburg. It did sit on a large piece of land. The picnic area is all my idea.

Also, in this story Franz is not supportive of the Germans. And I will use the same three characters I often use. Katia is the cook. Stefan and Phillip maintain the villa and its land. And Frau Schmidt has a first name, Isabel.


	3. A New Day

A New Day

Bright and early the next day, Georg said goodbye to Elsa as she left in the car with Franz. He would stay at the train station until the train for Vienna arrived. When it did. Franz took her two bags from the trunk and placed them on the train. An attendant took them to her compartment. Then he watched the train leave.

He returned to the car mumbling. "I so glad she's gone. Something about her bothers me."

When he arrived back at the villa, he found Georg. "The Baroness is on her way to Vienna."

"Thanks Franz, I'm waiting for my children to come down with their Fräulein."

"They really are happy since she returned."

"They certainly are. I wonder what her plans are for after their lessons."

"Something fun, I'm sure."

Maria had woke as if she had heard the Abbey bells ring. She immediately sat up and threw her legs over the side of the bed. Then she remembered where she was. But knowing she was in her governess room at the villa didn't stop her from praying the morning prayers and singing one of the morning hymns.

And then like yesterday morning she heard voices outside her door. She had no idea Georg's voice was one of them. She quickly opened her door. She saw him.

"So Captain, you were aiding your children in waking me!"

"I suppose I was."

"Are you the hungry one this morning?"

"Not really, I heard my children and decided to join them."

Franz inquired after they were seated around the table. "Georg, how long will Elsa be in Vienna?"

"I don't really know. I do know there are several bridal stores; she'll probably look in all of them for her gown."

Georg noticed discreet smiles between Liesl and Louisa; he was sure they meant they were happy with his comment.

After another delicious and filling breakfast, Georg inquired again.

"Fräulein, do you have lessons planned for today?"

"Not for this morning. Captain, we're in the rainy season. The children would like to ride their bikes before the rain comes."

"Mind if I come with you?"

"Of course not, you're always welcome to join us. I was planning on riding to the plaza and back; it will probably take us a good hour. Marta doesn't pedal very fast and I of course have a passenger."

Her answer didn't mean she didn't wonder about his engagement to the Baroness. She did and was terribly confused.

Georg had a reason for coming along; he knew there were many Nazi sympathizers in Salzburg. They worried him.

"While everyone gets ready, I'll alert Phillip to have our bikes ready for us."

He quickly left the villa to find him. He found him outside by the shed.

"Good morning Georg. Do you need something?"

The children want to go on a bike ride; I'm going with them."

"Are you worried about something?"

"Yes, Nazi sympathizers; I know they're here."

"So do I."

The children's voices told them both they had exited the villa. And their voices became louder as they ran to their father.

Immediately Gretl asked. "Father, could you teach me how to ride a bike?"

"First, I would need to buy you a smaller bike so your feet can touch the pedals comfortably."

He didn't tell her when because the coming Anschluss would change everything.

"Thank you, Father. Now you need to put me in my seat on Fräulein Maria's bike."

"I can do that."

And Georg discovered it was absolutely necessary he buy her a bike. Gretl was already too big for the seat; her knees were almost resting on her chest.

With Gretl in her seat and the others with one foot on a pedal they were ready to ride down the lane. It took them by the pasture with the horses; there they went left towards Salzburg. Even the boys didn't pedal very fast; they had a nice enjoyable ride to the plaza. They stopped and rested before returning home. And Georg was relieved he saw no one who seemed suspicious.

They welcomed Katia's pitchers of lemonade; it wasn't pink. Pink lemonade reminded her of the day Georg had announced to his children Elsa would be their new mother. She and Isabel both had thought she was not the motherly type. They were both extremely happy she had returned to Vienna.

The clouds gathered before lunch time. The children didn't mind starting on their lessons. Maria had them do a few simple assignments before Katia had lunch prepared. And after lunch they had to finish the book they were reading and write a book report.

Their father joined them in the classroom as each one read their report. Afterwards Kurt asked.

"Can we play Freeze Tag in the ballroom?"

"Is this a new game Fräulein?"

"It is Captain; it's a good way to play tag inside. Your children love to play it."

"Father, you can play too. If the _It_ person touches you, you must freeze where you are. After everyone is frozen, another person becomes _It._ We don't always play it until everyone has had a turn to be _It._ "

"Louisa, I think I'll sit and watch this time. I'll enjoy all the fun you are having."

He watched as the _It_ child made statutes of their siblings; each one froze in an awkward position. Georg smiled and laughed. And also thought. _They're really happy because Elsa isn't here and so am I._

Maria had sat too; she was on the opposite of the room and also held a thought. _This engagement of the captain and the Baroness is really strange. The captain seems so happy she's not here._

And both of them heard Kurt. "I hope Katia serves dinner soon."

And Louisa agreed. "I'm as hungry as Kurt."

And Georg made a statement too. "Since two children are hungry, I'll go see if dinner is almost ready."

"So the children's hunger made you hungry too Captain."

"I must not tell a lie Fräulein. I am."

Georg walked away; no one saw his big smile. When he returned, he clapped his hands together and said.

"Dinner is ready."

Seven children ran to get ready. The captain followed hurriedly. Kurt once again gave his short crisp grace before they began to devour the food.

For Kurt, Louisa and the captain it took second helpings to finally fill them. Maria had a comment.

"You need to be calm and quiet and let your food digest."

"Can we sing Fräulein Maria?"

Maria didn't answer Brigitta. Georg did.

"Wonderful idea." He again smiled at Maria.

And Maria continued to wonder about his engagement to the Baroness. She put it out of her mind as the children sang for their father. He gave applause after each song.

An hour had passed; it was the children's bedtime. Reluctantly they said goodnight to their father and went up to bed with Maria. Georg followed shortly after writing another entry in his journal.

 _I wonder how much longer I need to keep my secret._


	4. Elsa Returns

Elsa Returns

The next day began as yesterday had; Kurt and Louisa were hungry. They had a contest at breakfast to see who could eat the most pancakes. Not even Georg ate that many. And their lessons about America were interesting.

Around three in the afternoon, the children's happy smiles became frowns. The Baroness had returned from Vienna. And Maria observed the greeting between her and the captain.

It was nothing like she had read described in the romance novels she had read before she entered the abbey. She saw no hurrying to embrace the other; and they barely kissed. She did hear her answer to the captain's question.

"We're you successful darling?"

"Not really. I'm having it made. I will need to return for a fitting."

"At least you will wear a gown you really like."

"I suppose that's a good reason to wait. I need to go to my room and unpack."

"Of course darling. Franz already took your bags to your room."

And Maria was bewildered; it was all so strange.

And the day became stranger when Elsa didn't come down for dinner. Franz took her meal to her room. Once again, the older children smiled broadly. They knew they could enjoy their meal and the remainder of the evening without the Baroness being there.

They did enjoy the evening. Maria taught them how to play charades. Seven very happy children went to bed. And she heard the captain ask.

"Fräulein, where did you learn all these fun things to do?"

"From one of my professors at the university; he taught us fun ways to help children learn. Charades help them sharpen their memory; and to quickly think how to act out the charade. I noticed you enjoyed playing too."

"I did, Fräulein. We should get some sleep; I'm sure the children will keep us busy tomorrow."

"Yes, Captain, they probably will. I'll see you in the morning."

"You certainly will. Sleep well Fräulein."

Maria left the sitting room for the stairs; her walk was slow but her mind was very active. She was wondering about the captain's engagement to the Baroness. _Why is it he wants to be with me and his children? It seems very strange._

She continued to ponder it all the way to the second floor. Maria set aside her thoughts as she entered the little girl's bedroom. They were waiting for her to read them a story. And as they had done many times before they were asleep before she finished. She put the book down and left their room quietly.

She checked on the other children and found them in various stages of getting ready for bed before she went to her room. She put on her nightgown and knelt beside her bed to say her prayers.

They had helped Maria fall asleep easily. But it wouldn't be sound sleep or very restful. And someone else was not having a good night's sleep either.

It was Liesl; her time of the month had arrived. Her discomfort woke her very early in the morning. She knew Katia was already in the kitchen; she was going there to get the hot water bottle. A voice stopped her half way down the stairs.

Liesl recognized that the voice belonged to the Baroness. She heard. _Yes comrade Zeller, it's all arranged. Tell Heinrich Himmler he doesn't suspect a thing_ _. Heil Hitler._

Liesl froze; she finally took a deep breath and ran to her governess's bedroom. She knocked on her door loud enough for it to wake her governess.

Maria was in the twilight of her night's sleep; it was the time the sisters and postulants were called to first prayers.

The knock startled her; she bolted from her bed and spoke loud enough to be heard. "Who's there."

"Liesl, I must talk to you."

Maria quickly open the door and saw Liesl standing there. She could immediately tell something was terribly wrong. Her normal happy countenance was gone. Instead, her face was pale, her eyes were wide open. And she had her arms crossed as if she was trying to keep herself from shaking uncontrollably.

"What's wrong."

Liesl stuttered as she tried to speak.

"I….I was going to the kitchen to get the hot water bottle….but..but I was stopped when I heard a voice." Liesl took a deep breath and now she almost spit her words out like a gunshot as she continued.

"Maria, it was the Baroness on the telephone. She was talking to that man who was at the party, Herr Zeller. I heard her say. It's all arranged and he doesn't suspect a thing. I'll wait for orders from Heinrich Himmler. Then she ended the call with Heil Hitler."

She again took a deep breath and stammered out.

"I…..I'm really scared Fräulein. Who do you think she was talking about?"

Maria had a thought she didn't share with Liesl.

"I don't know. Go get the hot water bottle from Katia and try to go back to sleep."

Liesl did as she asked. Meanwhile Maria dressed and prayed. "Lord, I know you know as I do. Send your angels to protect the captain."

Then she hurried down the stairs and she heard. "I see you're an early riser too this morning. I saw Liesl going up the stairs. Do you know why she was up so early?"

"Yes, it's her time of the month; she went to get the hot water bottle from Katia. I need to tell you what she told me."

"Let's go in my study." He closed the door. Maria thought it was strange he did.

"Captain, Liesl heard the Baroness talking on your telephone and she knew it was to that man, Herr Zeller who was at the party. She told me his exact words. _It's all arranged and he doesn't expect a thing._ She also heard the name, _Heinrich Himmler;_ and she ended the conversation with, _Heil Hitler._

"Captain, I didn't tell her my suspicion. I believe we both know who _He_ is."

"Yes, Maria, we do. You better sit."

Now Maria was the one who was scared; so much so she was shaking. When she sat, it wasn't lady-like; it was more like she was falling into the chair. And her stomach felt like it was in knots. She covered it with her hands trying to soothe it.

She was facing Georg, who had also sat. "Maria, let me tell you about meeting Elsa. I'm sure you remember your first dinner at the villa."

"How could I forget it; I sat on a pinecone and let out a squeal."

"Yes you did and it made me wince. Do you remember my conversation with the children?"

"Yes, after you told them you were going to Vienna, I remember one of them saying, _not again Father._ And then I think Marta asked when were they going to meet the Baroness. I took this to mean you had been seeing her for a while."

"That's correct, I had. Maria, when I first met Elsa, I found her to be engaging, charming and thoughtful. During this time I became aware of Hitler's plan to unite Austria to Germany; it caused me great distress. But Elsa wasn't bothered at all. I thought maybe she would change her mind. So I decided to bring her to the villa to meet my children.

"I should have gone with my gut feeling about her. I began to remember all the parties she took us to. I would hear conversations about Hitler's plans; and most of the other guests agreed with them. I also heard men who spoke with German dialects from Berlin. She was quite friendly with them. I wasn't sure what I should do about Elsa; she was expecting me to marry her.

"So after you ran away, I decided ask her. It didn't make my children happy. It took my prodding to have them kiss her on her cheek. I sent them off to play. Did you know they came to the Abbey?"

"Yes, the Reverend Mother told me."

"They were gone a long time, Maria. I had an idea where they went but when I asked they concocted a story about berry picking. And I teased with them and told them they must be so full of berries they didn't need any dinner."

"So that's why Kurt told me he was hungry. And then you appeared. The children had just told me you were going to marry the Baroness. I realized I was too late to have a chance to tell you the real reason I stopped dancing."

"Maria, I am sorry. Someday, we'll have that conversation. You were very brave to answer my question about staying. I already had my suspicions about Elsa.

"Now what I'm going to tell you can't leave this room."

Maria was grateful she was sitting; she now had those first symptoms of fainting. Her hands were cold, the room was spinning and her vision was blurry.

"There's no way to sugarcoat this. I believe, no I'm sure. Elsa is a spy for the Germans."

Maria had instinctively lowered her head to her knees.

"Take some deep breaths Maria; they will help ease your shock."

The deep breaths helped; her symptoms eased and she could raise her head as she listened to the captain continue to speak.

"Maria, I'm not waiting for the day Hitler sends his Stormtroopers into Austria. I've been preparing for all of us to leave, that includes you Maria. These men are as evil as the barbarians who killed Christians in the first century; no one who's a friend of mine will be spared."

"What are you going to do about the Baroness?"

"I don't think I will need to do a thing. I'm sure she had help planning this scheme. She's using the gown as an excuse to return to Vienna and never come back here. And you and I need to act normal. It won't be for long; maybe two days at the most."

"What about Max? The children have missed him since he moved into town to be closer to the Festival Hall."

"Max and I don't see eye-to-eye about the Germans; he thinks we should try to get along with them. I think he will learn one day they can't be trusted. I hope, for his sake, he doesn't wait too long to leave."

"Georg, can I visit the Abbey?"

"Maybe Maria, things might happen quickly; you can talk to her on the telephone later today. And you can tell the Reverend Mother you are leaving with us. I don't think she will be at all surprised.

"Maria, I want you to use my given name when we leave here. I know I'm being extra cautious; I don't want to take any chances of someone hearing me addressed as _Captain._ And I'll find a way to tell Liesl and Friedrich; we will need them to be strong for the others.

"Now, we need to leave my study separately. You go first."

Maria heard no one until she arrived in the hall near her bedroom. She thought the boys were having a pillow fight. She let them be for now. She went in her room and fell on her knees beside her bed and spoke.

"God, now I know why I was sent here. My life is to help Georg, his children and the others to find their destiny."

Georg also prayed. "God, I know you are all-knowing; you know everyone's destiny. It was you who gave the Reverend Mother wisdom to send Maria back here so she, myself, my children and my friends can live out the lives planned for us before we were born.

"Now give me strength to help all of us flee safely from the evil which is about to engulf Austria and perhaps all of Europe."


	5. Waiting

Waiting2

Since it was still early in the morning, Maria went back upstairs to her room to wait for the children to wake. She was in a daze. Georg's news was fresh in her mind. Maria looked in her Prayer Book for help to calm her.

In the section known as the _Psalter_ she found the _Twenty-Third Psalm._ She read about the Lord guiding us along right pathways. And that the Lord would keep us from evil as we walk through the valley of death.

Maria thought that described what their leaving Austria would be like. And she also thought that goodness and mercy would guide them on their journey.

Maria was now in a better frame of mind to greet the children without giving away her secret. And it was only about thirty minutes later when she heard their voices.

"Do you think she's awake?"

She didn't take long to open her door. "Yes, I'm awake. Why are all of you already dressed? I suppose, you're hungry Kurt."

He smiled that endearing smile of his.

"I believe your smile means yes." Kurt continued to smile.

"It's very early, children. Katia may not have breakfast prepared yet."

"Can we go find out?"

"Yes Louisa, we can."

Maria wanted to do anything to have a pleasant demeanor so as not to give her secret away. She would soon learn she had help; Georg intercepted them.

"Children, Katia wasn't expecting you to wake so early. The breakfast casserole hasn't finished cooking. She's pouring you glasses of juice which you can drink now to take the edge off your hunger. Your Fräulein and I will enjoy a cup of coffee while we wait."

"Do we need to wait for the Baroness?"

"No Louisa; she never wakes this early." And he thought. _You may never see her again._

The children ran on to the dining room. Georg and Maria had a few minutes alone. "Georg, you need to speak with Liesl. She's carrying a heavy burden. You could put her at ease."

"I'll find an opportunity."

"And I'll help you."

They both learned that even the hungry child didn't complain about waiting. Although Kurt did consume his juice without taking a breath and then announced.

"I already feel less hungry."

"That's good, Kurt. Maybe now you won't inhale your food."

"Brigitta, I'll just eat fast this morning."

Now the dining room was filled with giggles from all the others. And Georg noticed Liesl was giggling with them. Their eyes caught.

Georg smiled and nodded to her. He saw her take a deep breath and nod to him and smiled. _Good, she knows I know her secret._

Maria had noticed all this and thought. _Liesl knows I told him._

All this unspoken conversation came to a halt when Franz sat the breakfast casserole on the buffet at the far end of the dining room.

"Children, the casserole is very hot. Everyone needs to let their serving cool a few minutes. I wouldn't want you to burn your tongues."

As usual Franz served Georg first. "Franz is right children; I can see the steam rising from mine."

Maria added. "If you cut into your serving, it will cool faster."

"Good suggestion, Fräulein."

Everyone did as Maria suggested. In a matter of a few minutes they began to eat. And Franz served second servings to Georg, Kurt and Louisa.

Georg had been thinking of something to do to help the day go by faster. He expressed his idea.

"We should take a rowboat ride and watch the sun rise; it's spectacular over water. But everyone needs to remember the first rule of riding in a rowboat."

He heard from eight voices; Maria spoke too. "Never stand up in a moving rowboat."

"Good, you learned the hard way. Now go get ready. I'm going to change into something more comfortable for rowing a boat."

Georg put on clothes none of the children had ever seen before. He expected to hear their comments and he did.

"Father, when did you buy this outfit? It's so different."

Georg was glad Liesl spoke; it meant her knowledge wasn't bothering her.

"Long ago in Pula. But I never had the opportunity to wear it. I thought this sporty shirt and baggy pants were perfect for rowing a boat. Now follow me to the lake."

Stefan had beached the boat on the cemented part of the ramp. He would also help the children and Maria board. As soon as everyone had taken a seat he pushed it into the lake and Georg began to row.

He immediately heard Maria begin the _Row Boat_ song. _Row, row your boat gently down the stream._ _Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily. Life is but a dream._ They even surprised Georg by singing it as a round.

And he thought. _If Max heard them he would want to enter them in the festival. But we're not going to be here._

Instead he asked. "Who can tell me which way is east?"

"Father, I think it's straight ahead of us. The sky looks lighter."

"Very good, Friedrich. Now I'll pull the oars in and we will wait; it won't be long."

And he was correct. Soon they saw the sun peek over the horizon producing colors of yellow and orange only to be hid by a cloud. Then it emerged from the cloud and the sky became pink like a sea of cotton candy and the light of the sun colored the clouds with a pinkish hue.

As it rose higher, the sky was no longer filled with dinky crayon colors like tickle-me-pink, but colors of unexplainable magnificence that have no known name. The sun appeared as a fiery ball announcing God had created a new day.

"Father, I never thought a sunrise would be so beautiful."

"They always are, Marta. They're called a sailor's delight. Now I'll row us all around the lake before we return home."

Meanwhile, back at the villa, Elsa was awake. She had heard they were going for boat ride to see the sunrise. She took this opportunity to leave the villa. She left all her clothes. She carefully checked the hallways to be certain no one would see her. Then she carefully opened the front door and closed it without making a sound.

The gate was open and a car was parked several meters down the lane. A man opened the car door for her; she took her seat. The car pulled away quietly. Then she was asked.

"Did anyone see you leave?"

"No, comrade."

But she was wrong. She didn't know someone was in Georg's study. Franz had seen her. He had a thought. _I need to tell Georg as soon as I can._

Georg easily beached the boat so no one's feet got wet getting out of the boat. Georg secured it to a mooring post. And now it was Maria who had an idea to pass the day quicker.

"Children, you could paint your clay figurers this morning."

Liesl then added. "I'll help you Fräulein Maria get the paints ready and cover the table with the waterproof cloth."

And Georg detained the others so they would have a chance to talk; which they did.

"Fräulein Maria, I still can't believe what I heard the Baroness say on the telephone. Did you and Father talk?"

"We did. I don't want you to worry. Your father will keep all of us safe."

Maria had only finished talking a few seconds ago when the others appeared in the classroom. They were giggling and laughing. It helped both of them put on a pleasant face.

"Okay children, get your creations from the shelf and have a seat around the table. Although each color has two brushes, you may still need to wait your turn. Take your time."

The children spent almost the rest of the morning painting their creations. And Georg went to his study. Franz was waiting there. He didn't wait but a few seconds.

"Georg, you need to know the Baroness left the villa while you were out on the lake. She didn't take anything other than a handbag."

"I'm not surprised. I need to tell you, Liesl heard her on my telephone early this morning. It was all about a plan to capture me. She told Maria and I shared with her my belief."

"She's a German spy, isn't she Georg?"

"Yes, you're correct. I'm hoping Maria will send Liesl and Friedrich down so I can tell them the plan. Can you locate some bags for us to pack?"

"Yes, I'm sure they're in the attic."

Georg was correct. Maria noticed both Liesl and Friedrich had finished painting their creations.

"Liesl, Louisa can help me clean up the brushes. Why don't you and Friedrich go ask your father if he has plans for the remainder of the day."

"Come on Friedrich, let's go talk to father."

And Maria thought. _I'm sure Liesl knows this is an opportunity for her father to reassure her._ She, of course, had no knowledge of what Franz had shared with Georg.

And Maria didn't hear Friedrich's question.

"Liesl, why do need to stay busy?"

"Father, will tell us."

And Georg had heard Liesl's answer.

Georg also didn't want to frighten them. So he asked a simple question.

"Did you finish painting your creations?"

"Yes, and she sent us to see you." Friedrich answered.

"Friedrich, early this morning Liesl heard the Baroness on the telephone. She was speaking to Herr Zeller."

"The man who commented on your flag!"

"That was him. The new leader in Germany wants me for his navy. We need to leave Austria."

"Where will we go?"

"What country have you been studying?"

"America, Father. Why there?"

"It's far away with an ocean between us. I need you to be calm. It's time for you to pack a bag. Please don't say anything to frighten your brother or sisters."

"We won't. Come on Friedrich, we can help the others."

 _That went well._ Georg thought. Now I need to speak with the ladies.


	6. Sharing the News

Sharing the News

Franz had left Georg's study for the attic by the time Liesl and Friedrich arrived there.

Liesl held a thought while she and Friedrich were walking down the stairs. _Father's going to tell us something very important._

And Friedrich asked. "Liesl, why do we need to stay busy?"

"Father will tell us."

Georg had stepped out of his study and heard Liesl's answer. It helped him begin to tell them about leaving Austria.

"Did you both finish painting your clay creations?"

"Yes Father; and our Fräulein sent us to see you." Friedrich answered.

 _Good, she read my mind._

"Maria sent you to see me because I have things to tell you. That new leader of Germany, Adolph Hitler, has plans to make Austria part of Germany again. It would mean I'd be required to serve in his navy. We're not going to be here when that happens."

"Where will we go?"

"What country have you been studying?"

"America, Father! Are we going there?"

"Yes, we are, Friedrich."

"Are you going to marry the Baroness before we leave?"

"No, the Baroness isn't here. She left while we were out on the lake. Friedrich, early this morning Liesl overheard the Baroness on my telephone. She was talking to Herr Zeller. She's helping the Germans find a way to force me to join the German navy. She of course didn't know Liesl heard her.

"Liesl spoke with Maria. And she and I talked. All of us, including Maria, will leave Austria very soon. Please don't say anything to your brother or sisters."

"We won't father." Friedrich answered.

"Now I'm sure Maria has things for you to do to keep you from worrying. Why don't you go find her while I speak to the other adults."

The two of them were stunned but composed as they left their father. And Georg went to the kitchen. Isabel was there; both she and Katia were enjoying a cup of tea.

"Ladies, I'm sure this thought has crossed your minds."

"That we need to leave Austria."

"Correct, the Baroness is already gone; she left while we were out on the lake."

"Does that mean what I think it means?"

"Yes, Isabel, she's one of Hitler's followers. There's a plan to capture me. We need to leave here very soon. Liesl and Friedrich already know as does Maria. Franz is finding travel bags for all of us. Maria wants to speak with the Reverend Mother before we leave here. I'll help her do that shortly."

"Should we prepare a basket of food to take with us?"

"Yes Katia, I'm sure Kurt would be most grateful."

Georg said this knowing it would make both ladies smile; which it did. They were adults; they would have little difficulty being pleasant around the children.

And Georg went upstairs to see Maria and his children. He heard them as soon as he was at the top of the stairs; they were playing games in the old nursery. After he came closer he was seen by Kurt.

"Hi Father, do you have something else planned for today?"

"I do. But I need to borrow Maria for a few minutes."

Maria stood. "You can play _Duck, Duck, Goose,_ while I'm gone."

Maria followed Georg down the stairs to his study. He spoke immediately. "Maria, the Baroness is gone. There's enough time for you to talk the Reverend Mother on the telephone. Then we need to leave here as soon as everyone packs a bag."

"Will you place the call? I've never used a telephone."

"Of course I will."

Maria listened as Georg spoke into the telephone handle. "Operator, please connect me with the Mother Abbess at Nonnberg Abbey."

He listened for a couple of seconds and then handed the phone to Maria. She heard. _Good day and blessings, this is the Mother Abbess._

Maria responded quickly. And she spoke very fast.

"Mother, it's me, Maria. I have the most wonderful news. I know what my destiny is; it's to help the captain, his children and the others who live at the villa to leave Austria so they can find their destiny."

Maria heard. _You learned well my daughter. All of us at the Abbey will keep all of you in our prayers._

And Maria responded in calm soft voice. "Thank you, Mother. I'll never forget you and all the sisters. I will pray you will be safe as well."

 _And I will bless you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen_

"Thank you, Mother, goodbye." And Maria handed the telephone back to Georg to place it on its cradle and spoke at the same time.

"I'll go help the children pack their clothes."

"Please do, Maria. I want to leave here as soon as possible." Georg had an idea that Elsa's leaving was the trigger to put the plan to capture him in motion.

Georg's words triggered Maria's sixth sense. She hurried from his study and took some of the stairs two at a time to get up quicker.

Franz was up there too. "Maria, I'll help the boys pack."

"Thank you, and I'll help Marta and Gretl after I tell everyone."

He heard her tell them. "Your father is taking all of us on a train ride. You need to pack a bag with clothes for several days. He wants to leave here very soon. Franz will make sure you boys pack all the necessities. I'll help Marta and Gretl and meet everyone at the foot of the stairs."

And Maria exchanged glances with Liesl; who spoke. "I'll be sure my sisters bring everything they need."

Everything was happening so fast that even Brigitta didn't question Maria or her sister. And it was in a matter of a few minutes when everyone was waiting at the foot of the stairs.

Georg spoke confidently and without hesitation. "The front door is locked; we'll leave using the kitchen door. Stefan and Phillip, you need to be last."

And Phillip locked that door. He thought. _I don't want it to be easy for Herr Zeller to confiscate our villa._

His thought was necessary. They had no sooner walked out of sight of the villa when Herr Zeller, Rolf and other Nazi sympathizers were in a car on the lane to the villa. Zeller attempted to open the front door.

"It's locked Rolf; let's try the back door."

Herr Zeller pounded on the door when he discovered it too was locked; in disgust Herr Zeller spoke.

"Baroness Schraeder must have been seen leaving; Heinrich Himmler is not going to be pleased. Let's go back to headquarters and report all this."

Zeller's car was seen traveling rather fast by the priest of the local church as it passed going towards the city. He spoke to his custodian who was standing with him.

"Andrew, will you go and check on the captain's villa. I want to be sure he is gone."

"I'll ride my bicycle there."

"I'll wait right here for your return."

Andrew did as Herr Zeller had done; he checked both doors and found them locked. He also checked the barn and the hen house. The door of each was wide open. And Andrew thought.

 _Stefan did this in hopes they would wander and be seen by the neighbors._

He closed them and quickly rode back to the church. "Father, the villa's doors are locked. I peered in the window; all the lights were out. The doors on the barn and the hen house were open; I closed them until we can decide what to do with the animals."

"Good, the captain got out in time. Please take care of the animals until we can find someone to care for them. I need to call the Bishop."

In his conversation with the Bishop, the priest heard. _Yes, I know. The Mother Abbess told me she talked to Maria. Remember, God has the captain and all the others in the palm of his hand. All of them will find their destiny after they are safe from Hitler._

 _The Lord, our God, will give us strength to continue to live as He has directed. This we must believe and remain steadfast as we endure what is to come._

The priest absorbed the Bishop's words as he began to think about his homily for after the Anschluss occurred.

Meanwhile, everyone sensed Georg's urgency; they hurried down the path to the train station.

Georg had checked the train schedule as part of his plans for leaving Austria. Many trains came through this station to travel on to Italy. Georg's knowledge served him well. A train was waiting on the tracks.

Everyone heard. "Train to Italy's port is ready for boarding. Please take your seats quickly this train needs to stay on time."

The stationmaster noticed the last person was on board; he signaled to the driver. Now the train slowly pulled out of the station. And Georg was pleased they had the train car all to themselves.

The train car held not a whisper. It was almost like everyone was holding their breath. Georg knew that wasn't good. It could allow for unpleasant thoughts. So he spoke.

"Maria, do you know a song we could sing?"

"I most certainly do! Children, lets sing the thunderstorm song. I'll start us."

Maria began the song. _Raindrops on roses…_ And the children immediately chimed in with _whiskers on kittens._ They continued to sing about all kinds of favorite things. Even the adults added things not in the original song.

And now Georg had a suggestion for another song. "Maria, have them sing _The Hills are Alive_ song."

"Of course, Georg. But you need to sing with them."

"I will." It pleased Georg that Maria had used his given name with ease.

Again Maria began the song. _The Hills are alive._ And the others including Georg began to sing. _With the sound of music._ And all the way to the end. _I'll sing once more._

As they sang the train's driver had kept a constant speed; almost an hour had passed. Georg knew they were getting closer to the Italian border. His fear was that border guards might stop the train at the last station in Austria.

He shouldn't have been worried; this early morning train slowed as it passed the last station in Austria. The conductor saw no one waiting there and continued past it headed for the town of Tarvisio Italy.

And a few kilometers later the train had entered Italy; and two kilometers further Georg saw the sign, _Welcome to Tarvisio._ He breathed a sigh of relief.

He stood and announced. "We just entered Italy; you still have a long train before we arrive in Rome."

"Did you say Rome, Father?"

"I did Friedrich."

"Why are we going there?"

"Let me ask you a question. Where are we headed?"

"To America." Liesl answered.

"And what's between Rome Italy and America?"

"I know Father."

"Tell me Kurt."

"Water."

The wise child was thinking. "Father, are we getting on a ship?"

"Yes Brigitta, we are, a big fancy ship with the name New Amsterdam, the ship of peace. It's new and fast. You are going to have lots fun."


	7. Traveling

Time to Leave

Maria handed the telephone back to Georg to place it on its cradle and spoke at the same time.

"I'll go help the children pack their clothes."

"Please do, Maria. I want to leave here as soon as possible." He didn't tell why but he thought. _I'm sure Elsa's leaving has triggered the German's plan_

But Georg's words had triggered Maria's sixth sense. She hurried from his study and took some of the stairs two at a time to get up them quicker.

Franz was up there too. "Maria, I'll help the boys pack."

"Thank you, and I'll help Marta and Gretl after I tell everyone."

He heard her tell them. "Your father is taking all of us on a train ride. You need to pack a bag with clothes for several days. He wants to leave here very soon. Franz will make sure you boys pack all the necessities. I'll help Marta and Gretl and meet everyone at the foot of the stairs."

And Maria exchanged glances with Liesl; who spoke. "I'll be sure my sisters bring everything they need."

Everything was happening so fast that even Brigitta didn't question Maria or her sister. And it was in a matter of a few minutes when everyone was waiting at the foot of the stairs.

Georg spoke confidently and without hesitation. "The front door is locked; we'll leave using the kitchen door. Stefan and Phillip, you need to be last."

And Phillip locked that door. He thought. _I don't want it to be easy for Herr Zeller to confiscate our villa._

His thought was necessary. They had no sooner walked out of sight of the villa when Herr Zeller, Rolf and other Nazi sympathizers were in a car on the lane to the villa. Zeller attempted to open the front door.

"It's locked Rolf; let's try the back door."

Herr Zeller pounded on the door when he discovered it too was locked; in disgust Herr Zeller spoke.

"Baroness Schraeder must have been seen leaving; Heinrich Himmler is not going to be pleased. Let's go back to headquarters and report all this."

Zeller's car was seen traveling rather fast by the priest of the local church as it passed going towards the city. He spoke to his custodian who was standing with him.

"Andrew, will you go and check on the captain's villa. I want to be sure he is gone."

"I'll ride my bicycle there."

"I'll wait right here for your return."

Andrew did as Herr Zeller had done; he checked both doors and found them locked. He also checked the barn and the hen house. The door of each was wide open. And Andrew thought.

 _Stefan did this in hopes they would wander and be seen by the neighbors._

He closed them and quickly rode back to the church. "Father, the villa's doors are locked. I peered in the window; all the lights were out. The doors on the barn and the hen house were open; I closed them until we can decide what to do with the animals."

"Good, the captain got out in time. Please take care of the animals until we can find someone to care for them. I need to call the Bishop."

In his conversation with the Bishop, the priest heard. _Yes, I know. The Mother Abbess told me she talked to Maria. Remember, God has the captain and all the others in the palm of his hand. All of them will find their destiny after they are safe from Hitler._

 _The Lord, our God, will give us strength to continue to live as He has directed. This we must believe and remain steadfast as we endure what is to come._

The priest absorbed the Bishop's words as he began to think about his homily for after the Anschluss occurred.

Meanwhile, everyone sensed Georg's urgency; they hurried down the path to the train station.

Georg had checked the train schedule as part of his plans for leaving Austria. Many trains came through this station to travel on to Italy. Georg's knowledge served him well. A train was waiting on the tracks.

Everyone heard. "Train to Italy's port is ready for boarding. Please take your seats quickly this train needs to stay on time."

The stationmaster noticed the last person was on board; he signaled to the driver. Now the train slowly pulled out of the station. And Georg was pleased they had the train car all to themselves.

The train car held not a whisper. It was almost like everyone was holding their breath. Georg knew that wasn't good. It could allow for unpleasant thoughts. So he spoke.

"Maria, do you know a song we could sing?"

"I most certainly do! Children, lets sing the thunderstorm song. I'll start us."

Maria began the song. _Raindrops on roses…_ And the children immediately chimed in with _whiskers on kittens._ They continued to sing about all kinds of favorite things. Even the adults added things not in the original song.

And now Georg had a suggestion for another song. "Maria, have them sing _The Hills are Alive_ song."

"Of course, Georg. But you need to sing with them."

"I will." It pleased Georg that Maria had used his given name with ease.

Again Maria began the song. _The Hills are alive._ And the others including Georg began to sing. _With the sound of music._ And all the way to the end. _I'll sing once more._

As they sang the train's driver had kept a constant speed; almost an hour had passed. Georg knew they were getting closer to the Italian border. His fear was that border guards might stop the train at the last station in Austria.

He shouldn't have been worried; this early morning train slowed as it passed the last station in Austria. The conductor saw no one waiting there and continued past it headed for the town of Tarvisio Italy.

And a few kilometers later the train had entered Italy; and two kilometers further Georg saw the sign, _Welcome to Tarvisio._ He breathed a sigh of relief.

He stood and announced. "We just entered Italy; you still have a long train before we arrive in Rome."

"Did you say Rome, Father?"

"I did Friedrich."

"Why are we going there?"

"Let me ask you a question. Where are we headed?"

"To America." Liesl answered.

"And what's between Rome Italy and America?"

"I know Father."

"Tell me Kurt."

"Water."

The wise child was thinking. "Father, are we getting on a ship?"

"Yes Brigitta, we are, a big fancy ship with the name New Amsterdam, the ship of peace. It's new and fast. You are going to have lots fun."


	8. The Cruise Ship

Cruise Ship The Amsterdam

Now everyone saw the the ship.

Georg heard Brigitta. "Father, that ship is enormous."

"Yes, it is. The bigger a ship is the smoother our sail will be."

"Sir, it also means you children will find many activities to have fun while on board her."

"This sounds like lots of fun, Father."

"Yes Kurt, it does."

"I see the rope is down; she's ready for boarding. The ship's stewards will help you find your cabins."

"Thank you for your help. Everyone follow me."

Georg led this group to the bridge connecting the land to the ship. He could see into a very large entrance in the ship's side. He thought. _This is ship is granduer than I thought it would be. Everyone's going to be so surprised._

He had to stop for Maria, who had hold of Marta and Gretl's hands, to catch up. Georg gazed at the entrance as he waited. Through the large opening he could see an elegant room and at the far end a huge staircase. Now everyone in the group were also staring at it.

"Georg, even this room is elegant. Is the entire ship like this?"

"I think it is, Isabel."

They heard from the man at the end of the ship's bridge. "This ship was built to be as elegant as the _Normandie_. But it is also a fun ship. Now whose name was used to buy your tickets."

"That would be mine, sir; Georg Trapp."

"Thank you." He paused to check his passenger list. "There's your name. You have seven cabins reserverd. Continue inside and a steward will greet you."

All of them walked on and their eyes took in the elegance of this room; everyone was speechless.

"Good day everyone. Your looks are what I see everytime new passengers come onboard."

"Good day to you too. I'm Gerog Trapp. With me are my seven children and all the adults who lived with us."

"Sir, you will need to use an elvator to go below to your cabins. Follow me."

Immediately, Gretl asked. "Father, what's an elevator?"

"Allow me to answer your daughter. It's a question we hear all the time."

"Please do."

"The elevators on my ship are very modern. They used to look like a cage used for large animals. Ours are beautifully decorated large metal boxes which can hold eight to ten people. They are called cars. Each car is connected to heavy wire cables. These cables pull the car up to go to the next floor and lower it to go down.

"Those on my ship don't go up real fast but in the tall buildings of America they can go up very fast; going down is always a bit slower. They're not scary; but children usually hold on to the rail which is on all three sides."

"Sounds like fun, Father."

"It doesn't to me, Kurt."

"Gretl, you can hold my hand."

Maria spoke with confidence; although she was a little worried as well. This was her first time too.

They discovered all of them couldn't fit in the elevator. Again the attendant spoke. "Another attendant will wait with you as I take the elevator back up for the others."

Gretl and Maria were in the first group. Gretl spoke after they had exited.

"Fraulien Maria, he was right. It wan't scary."

"No it wasn't."

And Kurt announced when he exited the elevator. "I like elevators."

"That's good young man; you will use them often on my ship."

The attendant led them to their cabins. "Mister Trapp you've been given seven cabins; it's up to you to assign them. Your bags will be left in the passage way. You're not far from a large dining room; there are signs pointing in the right direction to follow. The ship also has several smaller places to eat; the builder has provided establishments to satify many pallets."

"Thank you for all your information. We had a small meal on the train; we'll explore the ship before we eat again."

"Attendants are in most passageways to help you find your way. I leave you now; enjoy your sail."

"We most certainly will."

"Gerog, our cabins must be in first class; come have a look at this one."

Franz held open the door for everyone to look in side. Everyone saw it contained two beds; a small table with a lamp was between them. There also was a chest of drawers for their clothes, two comfortable chairs and a bathroom.

There was no complaints as to who was paired with whom. Isabel had Gretl and Katia, Marta. Maria shared a cabin with Liesl, Louisa and Brigitta were together as were the two boys. The men were paired as they usually were; Stefan and Phillip and Georg and Franz.

They each located their bag and Georg encouraged them to put their clothes in the dresser or hang them in the small closet.

As soon as they had finished, Georg annouced. "Let's first find the dining room. I'm sure we will use it later."

And he heard Kurt tell Friedrich. "I hope the food is good. I'm already hungry."

Georg coundn't help but laugh. "Kurt, I'm sure the food will be good and you can wait awhile; we'll eat soon."

Now Georg followed the signs to the dining room as they began to explore the ship.


	9. A Surprise

A Surprise

The second day's activities had kept the group busy. The children's' activities included a ballet class and painting class for the girls. The boys had built things from an erector set and put together a model car.

Together all the children had watched a movie and several short movies called cartoons. The men had attended a presentation about America; a short history of its discovery and the first states and information on the port in New York City where the ship would dock. They were also told about the train station where they could board trains to all parts of the country. And Isabel and Maria watched the afternoon performance of the play, _The Count of Luxembourg._

At dusk that evening they found themselves once again on the Observation Deck. This time to watch the sunset and the stars come out. The lights had been dimed for a better viewing.

Friedrich exclaimed. "The sunset is even more beautiful than the sunrise we saw on the lake. Papa, tells us about that star we see."

"It's not a star, Friedrich. It's another planet named Venus."

"How can you tell the difference?"

"Look at it closely. Does it twinkle?"

"I don't think it does, Papa. Are there other planets?"

"Yes, but you can only see them using a telescope. Soon the night sky will be filled with stars. You'll be able to see them because the moon is in its early phase when only a small part of it is seen."

As the stars came out, Maria began to sing. _Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how we wonder what you are. Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky._

"I like that song. Can you teach it to me?"

"I can Gretl. It's an easy song to learn; it has two more verses."

As the deck lights came back on, the group returned to their cabins. No one complained about going to bed.

The next day was the third day of their cruise. Georg was truly awake with the chickens; it wouldn't be daybreak for at least another hour.

He laid there; thinking.

He was thinking about the conversation Isabel and Maria had after watching the play, _The Count of Luxembourg,_ yesterday. He had heard both of their comments.

 _Maria, I didn't think it would have a happy ending. The story proves society's rules can't stop men and women from falling in love and marrying._

Maria's response was said in a whisper. _There's hope for me._

But Georg had heard it and now he a similar thought. _There's hope for me and Maria._

Georg now had an idea. He hurried to dress and decided to take a walk on the Observation Deck near to the place where the captain steers the ship.

He knew the night crew would be relieved of duty soon. Georg anticipated the Captain of the ship would be taking command as daybreak approached. He had anticipated correctly.

The Captain was leaving his quarters; he spoke first.

"I don't have many guests who meander up here. You must know your way around a ship."

"I do, sir. Do you have a moment to talk?"

"Certainly, let's go to my office.

The Captain spoke as he led Georg up a short set of stairs. "My office and sleeping quarters aren't like the rest of the ship. That _Art Décor_ style is too odd for me."

"It is odd for me too; a navy man like yourself."

"Ah, a navy man, tell me your name."

"I'm Georg von Trapp a submarine commander from the old Austrian-Hungarian Empire. I brought my seven children and six adults out of Austria as word that I would be captured and forced to serve in Hitler's navy was made known."

"My name is Davy Jones; all my passengers always call me Davy. I read about you. Was there a Baroness involved?"

"There certainly was. A Baroness I thought I would marry. Thank God I learned the truth before it was too late. One of the ladies who came with us is my children's governess. She and I became close after she helped me re-connected with my children whom I had pushed away after the death of their mother.

"There's been no impropriety between us; she was a great help getting the children ready to leave my villa as quickly as possible. Yesterday, Maria and the ladies saw the play, _The Count of Luxembourg,_ and I overheard her say, _there's hope for me._ "

Since the captain knew the plot of this play, he knew exactly what that meant.

"So now you would like to marry before the ship arrives in America!"

"Yes. My children, especially my two youngest daughters, already have a mother-like relationship with her. I'm sure us marrying would please them all."

"I'd be happy to perform the ceremony. You tell me when."

"Maria's probably already awake. Could you perform the ceremony after you complete your morning duties?"

"I certainly can."

"I thank you for being so accommodating."

"No problem at all, Georg."

Georg hurried to the stairs but someone's singing made him pause. It didn't take him long to realize it was Maria's voice he heard. _I wonder what brought her up here._

Georg walked to the rear of the ship from which the singing had come. He left her finish the song. She was now looking at the horizon waiting for the sun to rise.

Georg shuffled his feet so he wouldn't scare her. She spoke first.

"What brought you up here?"

"Hoping for a chance for us to talk. What did Elsa tell you that made you return to the Abbey?"

"You knew she followed me to my room?"

"I knew she went upstairs when Herr Zeller started to speak to me. Maria, did Elsa tell you I was in love with you?"

"She did. And she also told me I was in love with you. Her words scared me."

"So you decided to run away to the Abbey."

"Yes, but the Reverend Mother only let me stay in seclusion for two nights; then she asked to see me. She's a wise woman, Georg. She told me that the love of a man and woman is holy too. She sent me back to find my destiny."

"But when I arrived the children told me you were going to marry Elsa. I realized I was too late to tell you the real reason I stopped dancing."

"And later I told you, someday we would have that conversation."

"That time is now. I think you stopped dancing when our faces were close because you had feelings which were new to you."

Maria nodded and looked out at the ocean.

"Maria, I had similar emotions; but I knew why. Elsa was right about me. I do love you. But I couldn't tell you when you returned. I had to make Elsa believe we would marry.

"And Georg, hearing you tell me you love me doesn't frighten me anymore. I can also tell you the same."

"Oh my love, I believe without a doubt, you love me."

"I hope this won't scare you either."

Maria saw his head tilt down as his lips met hers. She would tell him later it was her very first romantic kiss. She fell into his arms as her head rested on his shoulder.

In a few seconds Georg spoke. "Maria, I want to get married before we arrive in America. I spoke with the ship's Captain. He volunteered to marry us as soon as he hands off command of the ship."

"Really Georg?"

"Yes, it was his suggestion."

The captain saw them and spoke. "I'm Captain Davy. I'm pleased to marry you. Tell me your name young lady."

"Maria, sir."

"Let's go stand on the bow of the ship. One of my mates will take a picture of you both after the ceremony; it's a beautiful setting."

Georg and Maria walked hand in hand behind the captain. They stood close before him.

"It is my privilege to marry you. Do you know of any reason you shouldn't marry?"

Each answered _NO._

"Marriage is never to be taken lightly; it is ordained by God when he created man and woman; then again at the Marriage in Canna.

"Now turn and face each other and hold hands.

"Georg, do you take Maria to be your wife, your partner and your one true love."

"I do,"

"Will you promise to tenderly care for her, respect her individuality, to cherish her as she is, and to faithfully love her continually? And do you promise to laugh in times of happiness; to give strength in times of need? And through good time and bad, will you trust her, be faithful to her and commit yourself to her for the rest of your life?"

"I will."

"Maria, do you take Georg to be your husband, your partner and your one true love?'

"I do."

"Will you promise to tenderly care for him, respect his individuality, to cherish him as he is, and to faithfully love him continually? And do you promise to laugh in times of happiness; to give strength in times of need? And through good time and bad, will you trust him, be faithful to him and commit yourself to him for the rest of your life?"

"I will."

"Georg, Maria, remember being a bride and groom is only for a day but being a husband and wife is a life time commitment. Your love should always be stronger than your anger. A lasting marriage needs the wisdom of compromise or else you are guaranteed to have conflict.

"Always believe the best of your beloved rather than the worst. Confide in your partner and ask for help when you need it. And remember that true friendship is the basis for any lasting relationship. Be sure to give your spouse the same courtesies and kindness you bestow on your friends. And it is most important for both of you to say, _I love you,_ every day.

"May life grant you patience, tolerance and understanding as you enter the greatest journey of your life.

"And now in as much as you have agreed to enter the marriage relationship and have exchanged vows with sincere and devoted hearts. It is now my honor and privilege to pronounce you husband and wife.

"Georg, you may kiss your bride."

Their kiss was discreet, yet with feeling.

Davy smiled when he heard each say, _I love you._

"And now before you return to your cabins, Walter will take you picture. It will be with your certificate which will be ready this afternoon.

The couple's smiles had never left them; Walter knew he had clicked the camera at the right moment to capture them. Now he heard them speak.

"Georg, I have a feeling Isabel may know exactly what we've done."

"It wouldn't surprise me; she knows be very well. And neither of us can remove our happy smiles. Liesl may know too."

"And I think we should have breakfast in the fancy dining room and then find a place where we can celebrate."

Walking as loving couples do, arms around the other's waist, they walked in sync back to their cabins.


	10. Announcing

Announcing

The very happy couple were not really surprised to find Franz waiting in the passageway. He had heard the door latch at the same time he noticed Georg was gone.

"You two can't fool me. I can tell by your smiles you got married. I'm happy for both of you."

"Thank you. Have you any talking from the cabins?"

"No."

"Georg, maybe I should go to my cabin before Liesl wakes up."

"That won't be necessary; she's walking this way."

"Maria, why did you leave the cabin so early? And why are you and Papa holding hands and grinning?"

"Do you have a guess?"

"Oh dear, I do. Did you get married?"

Liesl didn't wait for an answer. She opened the door to her sisters' room and shouted.

"Wake up! Papa and Maria are married!"

Her shouting was so loud it woke her brothers. They poked their heads out of the doorway.

"What did you say Liesl?"

"Papa and Maria got married, Friedrich."

Kurt had a different response. "Will you still play games with us…" He paused. "Do we call you mother now?"

"You could but I think in America children use different words."

"Yes, you're right. One of the boys in my building class used, mom and dad."

Marta added. "The girls in the ballet class used mommy and daddy."

By now everyone was in the passageway and had learned the news. "They're both right." Isabel told everyone. "And the children needn't call me Frau Schmidt anymore; I think Grandma Isabel is appropriate."

"Good to hear. We are becoming true Americans. And Kurt we are going to have breakfast this morning in the fancy dining room to celebrate our marriage."

"That's okay, Papa. One of the boys told me the food is good there."

"Then as soon as everyone is ready we can walk there."

No one took long to dress; everyone was as happy as Georg and Maria. They wanted to celebrate too.

When they arrived at the fancy dining room, the maî·tre d' was watching for them.

"Good morning, Davy told me to expect you. I had my staff put tables together; the Bride and Groom can sit facing the others. Please follow me."

As they approached the tables, Liesl commented. "Look at all the flowers!"

There was a big bouquet on the table for Georg and Maria; smaller arrangements were on each table".

"Of course, Miss. A wedding reception must have flowers; and also a beverage to use to offer toasts to the newlyweds. It's a nonalcoholic version of a cocktail named, Mimosa. It's made with orange juice and a clear carbonated drink which produces bubbles which may tickle your nose just like Champagne would."

It was Franz who pick-up his glass first and stood. "May I offer a toast to the newly married couple. May you always find joy in all that you do. May your hearts be filled with contentment and laughter. And may true love be yours for ever after."

The children watched him take a sip and copied him. Next to toast the couple was Stefan.

"Here's to you my good friend and your beautiful wife."

Again they took a sip of the drink. Now Katia stood. "May you have good luck and many years happiness. And may God fill your hearts with joy and gladness."

Isabel was next to stand. Her toast was different.

"There's an old saying, _Love is just around the corner._ I doubt neither Georg nor Maria had that thought when they met. Georg's heart hadn't healed from the loss of his first love. And Maria had never experienced the love of a man; she ran away.

"Events in both of their lives led them to each other. I can say without a doubt; this marriage was meant to be. And it will endure for as long as they both shall live. Here's to both of you."

She held her drink up and took a sip. Again the others did the same

And now Georg stood.

"I speak for Maria. We thank you for your pleasing sentiments. While we wait for our food let's enjoy the breakfast breads in the basket on each table. Maria, will you offer the blessing?"

"Please bow you heads."

"Bless this food, O Lord, and ourselves to Thy loving service; that we may always grow in our faith. We ask this in your Holy Name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

"Amen," was said by all.

In the bread basket they found all kinds of breakfast breads, Banana Bread with walnuts, small sweet rolls with sweet frosting, Raisin Bread, mini muffins and doughnuts.

Their breakfast meal consisted of mostly high-protein foods, crispy bacon, round sausage patties and either fried or scrambled eggs; and a fruit cup to complete their meal. It filled everyone, including Kurt. And another surprise waited for them.

The maî·tre d' spoke to them again. "Your celebration continues in our small ballroom. Follow me please."

Their walk took them up to the Promenade Deck. There the maî·tre d' took them to a room with the name, Princess Ballroom. As he opened the double doors music began to play. Music which Georg knew from all the parties Elsa had dragged him to in Vienna.

"Maria, did you know the music they're playing is a Strauss waltz?"

"No I didn't. The music I heard in Vienna was mostly church music. I wonder if they know the Laendler."

"They might, darling."

"Then maybe we can finish our dance. Looking deeply into your eyes won't scare me this time."

While they were talking the maî·tre d' was speaking with Franz. "The director of the small orchestra knows you are from Austria. They can play not only Strauss Waltzes but also Austrian Folk Music. They can also play the more modern American music; a couple of professional dancers can help you learn a few of them. Let me introduce you to the coordinator of our private dances.

"This young woman is Charlotte."

"Pleased to meet you sir. And you are?"

"I'm Franz. I was Georg's orderly in the navy. After the war I became his butler."

"Do you know if the couple has any requests?"

"I believe they do. They would like to dance the folk dance, the Laendler."

"I can make that happen. Let me begin your party."

A drum roll got everyone's attention. "My name is Charlotte. I'm your party coordinator. It's customary for the Bride and Groom to dance the first dance. Georg and Maria, please come stand in the center of the dance space."

"Maria, take my arm. I will lead us there."

They arrived with full smiles. "Georg, you may recognize this waltz. It's the Vienna Waltz by Johann Strauss. Assume the waltz position. Maestro, you may begin."

A very quiet note from a lone violin began the music; quickly the full orchestra began to play this melodious dance music with an ever so subtle rhythm. And the couple easily moved around the dance space as if they had danced together before. They smiled and kissed when the music ended.

"Now it is time for Georg to dance with his daughters."

Georg first danced with Liesl, Louisa and Brigitta to the famous Blue Danube Waltz. Its beat is much slower than many waltzes. And finally the orchestra played a piece of music for Georg to hold in his arms, both Marta and Gretl, and move them around the dance space.

Another selection was played for Maria to dance with Friedrich and Kurt.

Then the professional dances helped them learn dances many different rhythms, the Fox Trot, Cha-cha-cha, the Charleston and polkas.

Charlotte spoke again. "I was told the couple has an Austrian Folk Dance to complete."

"Thank you so much. Maria and I were hoping for a chance to dance this to the end."

After the orchestra played an introduction, Georg asked Maria. "May I have this dance?"

"Yes my husband."

Simultaneously Georg bowed and Maria did an exaggerated curtsy as she did at her arrival at the villa. Both of them laughed; the children were giggling. Then Georg led them through the dance. They promenaded in a circle first. Then Georg spun Maria off as Maria danced around him. Now it was Georg turn to dance around Maria.

Once again they took the promenade position and did a hop skip as they moved in a circle. Next was the part when they stood only inches away from the other and they both held their gaze. Each looked deeply in to the others eyes. They held it as the music played through to the end. And then they kissed.

And everyone applauded. Cold beverages were served to everyone. Then it was time for cutting the all-important wedding cake. Georg knew exactly what to do.

"Maria, you take hold of the knife handle first. Then I will cover your hand with mine. Together we will make the first cut into the cake. The cake cutters will finish cutting a piece of cake. They will place it on a plate with two forks. Then we will entwine arms and feed each other a small piece."

"How romantic, darling!"

The children watched with glee as their Mom and Dad feed each other cake. And everyone applauded.

Charlotte told them. "The cake will be placed in a box for you to take with you to America."

"Thank you, it's hard to believe we will be there tomorrow."


	11. Passing Time

Passing Time

As the group left the ballroom everyone was commenting on arriving in America tomorrow.

"Georg, it seems like yesterday when I returned to the villa; and soon we will be in a new country."

"It really is incredible, Maria."

Franz then asked. "Georg, do you know anything about our arrival?"

"I can tell you."

"Hello Davy, please tell us."

"The ship will arrive at the Port of New York late tomorrow afternoon. Georg, your escape story was picked up by all the major newspapers. When it was read by people in the American government, I received a wire.

"Georg, a Navy Officer will be in the immigration office to meet you."

"I never expected your Navy to be interested in me. The Great War was a long time ago."

"I think you underestimate your abilities. One is the ability to build camaraderie among your crew which consisted of men from every part of the old Austro-Hungarian Empire. America in now called the United States of America.

"The people in each state are also diverse. America has people from almost every country in the world. Each brought with them customs, their homeland's language and their way of worshipping God.

"I'm sure you remember what you did to help your crew become a team. You know very well this is important on any ship especially a submarine."

"I'm flattered, Davy. I'll help any way I can."

"Good, I'd like everyone to have dinner with me this evening. No need to dress up. Come as you are at six for cocktails and hors d'oeuvres."

"Thank you, we'll be on time."

Davy saluted Georg; he returned it and watched Davy return to the bridge.

"Dad, are you famous in America?" Brigitta asked.

"It seems like it. I'm really surprised. Now let's do something all of us can do."

"Maybe there's good movie we could all enjoy. We need to get today's activity schedule." Maria suggested.

They arrived at the ship's entrance to find a pile of today's schedule. Georg scanned it quickly.

"There's a movie being shown in the theater in thirty minutes. Its title is the Wizard of Oz, a movie for people of all ages. It's a fantasy story about a young girl who is magically transported to the Land of Oz."

"Dad, I think it will be good. Can we see it?"

"Yes, Louisa. You children should use the theater's bathroom before we take our seats."

The group found a crowd was gathering to watch this movie; still they found good seats so everyone had an unobstructed view.

When the movie began, they saw the screen turn from white to a brownish tint and all the characters in the movie were introduced. Now the movie sets the scene for telling about how a young girl, Dorothy and her dog, Toto, run away from their home.

And then a terrible storm, the movie calls a tornado comes. It's a terribly strong storm with swirling winds which takes Dorothy and Toto up in to the sky and they are deposited in the Land of Oz where Dorothy had been told lives a Wizard who could help her go home.

Soon she meets a Tin Man, a Straw Man and a Cowardly Lion. They each want something from the wizard too; a brain, a heart and for the lion, courage. Dorothy's friends receive their wish. And she is told by a Good Witch, to click her ruby red shoes together and she would be returned to her home.

The movie ended with Dorothy saying, _There's no place like home._

There was huge applause from the audience. And most everyone left singing the theme song, _Somewhere over the Rainbow._

"Dad, I really liked that movie. Will we be able to see movies in America?"

"It was good, Kurt. And yes, I'm sure you will be able see movies in America. I think it's also time for lunch. It's almost two o'clock."

"Daddy, can we eat at the All-American Restaurant?"

"Of course we can Marta. Follow me everyone."

Georg had learned the ship well; he easily led them there. Their favorite waitress was working this afternoon.

"Hello, everyone. Have you enjoyed your sail?"

"Yes Carol, it doesn't seem possible we will be in America tomorrow."

"Many passengers tell me that, Maria. Take your seats. I bet everyone already knows what they want to order."

She was correct. And after writing them down, the paper was clipped on the metal frame and turned so the chefs could prepare their orders.

When they were finished eating, everyone heard Kurt. "That will hold me until we have dinner with Davy."

Everyone had a quiet laugh about Kurt's announcement. Georg contained his before speaking.

"Let's go up to the miniature golf course and the shuffleboard court and play until it's time join Davy for cocktails."

Everyone except Georg and Maria played games. They stood together, as couples in love do; each had their arm around the others waist looking out at the ocean.

"Just think Maria. A whole new world waits for us; a place where everyone can live life to the fullest."

"I know. I wonder where our home will be."

"Since the Navy wants me, it could be somewhere along the east coast at one of their naval stations or maybe where they do official navy business. Tomorrow afternoon we'll find out."

The time had passed. It was getting close to six o'clock. Georg got everyone's attention by sounding a whistle noise with his fingers.

They gathered around him. "As soon as everyone uses the bathroom up here, we can walk to Davy's quarters."

It didn't take them long. Everyone was looking forward to the evening. As they walked that way, Liesl had a question for Maria.

"Mom, where did you and Dad get married?"

"On the bow of the ship, we have a photograph to help us remember the beautiful setting."

"Maybe we can see it. I'm sure it's lovely as the sun is setting."

"Perhaps Liesl, I see Davy is waiting to greet us."

"Good evening everyone. Like I told Georg, you will find my quarters are not in that Art Deco style of my ship. It's much too fancy for a military man. Please follow me."

Davy led them to small room with a large round table in the middle. On it were many trays filled with bit size small snacks and a large punch bowl filled with a non-alcoholic drink.

"Feel free to have a small snack and a glass of punch as I come around and chat with each of you."

Davy meandered around the room to speak to everyone, including all the children for about thirty minutes before he led them up a flight of stairs to his dining room which had a wall of windows.

"By the time you finish your dinner, you will be able to watch a spectacular sunset. It will be as beautiful as the sunrise rise was when I married Georg and Maria on the bow of my ship."

The meal they had was very similar to the fancy dining room's food. A small bowl of ice cream was served for desert.

As they finished eating the sun was already low in the sky. Everyone left their seat to stand in front of the large window. Although they had all seen their first sunset on the ship, this one was even more spectacular.

They saw the sky become ablaze with color; fiery orange, searing reds, hot as the sun yellow and yet the outer edges of the blazing sky began to cool as a lilac afterglow filled the night.

Everyone stood still; they were mesmerized. Davy broke their trance. "You can come up here tomorrow around three o'clock and watch the ship pass the first visible land mass. Have all your things packed. The stewards will bring them off the ship."

All the adults seemed to speak at once. "I still can't believe we will be in America tomorrow."


	12. Their Arrival

toTheir Arrival

The day began early for Georg and Maria. Their time of closeness had been postponed. They held their first kiss of the day a long time and remained in a hug as the others emerged from their cabins full of excitement and anticipation of arriving in America. Finally the couple decided it was time to dress and join the others.

"Mom, Dad, I still can't believe we will be in America today."

"It's an awesome thought, Friedrich. Once everyone is dressed we can go watch the sunrise before having breakfast."

By now most everyone was in the passageway. Katia and Isabel were still helping the girls get dressed. When they left the cabin they both ran to Maria shouting, "Mommy, mommy."

Maria had stooped down to hug both of them. "That sounds so nice, girls."

"Are we really going to be in America today?"

"We are. We need to stay busy so the day will go by quicker."

"The first thing we need to do is eat."

"Your mom and I heard you Kurt. Where would you like to eat?"

"The All-American restaurant, it serves food quick."

"I see." Georg could hardly contain his laugh. The others didn't try and soon laughter filled the passageway.

"Come with me Kurt, you and I can take the lead."

Kurt was all smiles as he and Stefan led the group. They were the first customers there. Their favorite waitress wasn't there; still they received a friendly greeting.

"Good morning, everyone. Did you wake early in anticipation of arriving in America this afternoon?"

"Yes and my youngest son wanted to come here for breakfast because you prepare food quickly."

"Then take a seat and I will take your orders."

Everyone knew exactly what they wanted to order and the kitchen had their food prepared for them in about fifteen minutes. Maria said a quick blessing. And like before, Kurt was the first to finish his meal.

Today he waited patiently for the others to finish. "Dad, can we go the game room?"

"Great idea, a good way to pass the morning."

This was a huge room which contained an indoor shuffleboard court, a place with a net for playing badminton or volleyball. It also had tables for playing ping-pong and two allies for the game of bowling.

They played in there until Franz noted the time. "We should have lunch and then return to our cabins to pack our things so we can go topside to watch our ship pull into port."

They went to the main dining room because they knew that the tables were still available to seat them all together. And it wasn't very busy so their orders were taken quickly.

After their food was served, there was little talking. They were eager to pack and watch the ship pull into port.

No one took long to pack; although each cabin was checked twice to be sure nothing was being left behind. Their bags were left in the cabin; an attendant would take them to the debarking area where they would retrieve them as they left the ship.

Georg led them to the bow of the ship. "This is where Maria and I were married. We'll have a perfect view of the Port of New York City."

"Do you think we will wait long?"

"Not too long, Liesl. I think we are very close to America."

Georg's eyes were sharp. He could a land mass none of the others could see. When the ship began to slow he spoke again.

"We must be getting close to the entrance to the port. Davy will need to begin to turn the big ship towards the west. Keep looking straight ahead; I think you will see land very soon."

"Dad, look at all those buildings."

"I see them, Friedrich."

"And what's that tall statute on our left?"

"It's the Statute of Liberty, Louisa. It was a gift from France. I'm sure we will learn more about her."

"Georg, now I see many more buildings."

"Maria, they're probably in the city which is also named New York."

And now everyone heard a voice. "I'm Walter, Davy's orderly. He sent me to tell you to prepare for departure. I will personally escort you to the dignitaries exit. There's a bathroom nearby it."

Georg didn't need to repeat Walter's instruction; they eagerly followed him. He could hear many in his group say. _I can't believe we are in America._

It took another forty-five minutes before the ship reached the dock and had been secured. And now Davy could leave the Wheelhouse and meet the group at the dignitaries exit.

"Good morning my friends, I know you are eager to learn where you will live. Follow me and I will introduce you to the men who will explain everything."

With Georg and Maria right behind Davy, the group left the bow of the ship and once more took elevators down to the deck with the grand staircase. Davy led them past those stairs to a private passageway; the door had to be opened with a key.

It looked like all the other passageways, carpeting on the floor and beautiful pictures on the walls. They could see light at the far end. As they approached the end, they could see two men. One was dressed in a regular suit; the other in the summer white uniform of an officer in the United States Navy.

The man in the regular suit walked towards them; immediately put his hand out towards Georg. Georg took it for a firm shake as the man spoke.

"I'm Frank Knox the Secretary of the Navy and with me is Admiral John Healy."

"Pleased to meet both of you."

"We are going to board a bus which will take us to the train station. From there we will take a train to the United States Capital in Washington D.C. It has a dining car where we can eat before we arrive there."

Georg smothered his thought about Kurt. He was sure he was relieved to know he would eat soon.

Instead he said. "We need to follow these two men."

The bus was a large one with the word _TRAILWAYS_ written on its side. As the group began to go onboard, their luggage and Maria's guitar were placed in the belly of the bus.

Frank Knox and Admiral Healy sat in the seat directly behind the driver; Georg and Maria were in the one across the aisle. They could easily converse.

Maria spoke to Georg. "Now we know why we could see these buildings from the ship. They are extremely tall."

"I'm sure Kurt and Louisa are enjoying them."

Admiral Healy asked. "Are your children always so quiet?"

"Not really admiral, I think they're in awe of actually being in America; these very tall buildings probably have them speechless."

"They will really be in awe when we arrive at Grand Central Terminal; and we're almost there."

The admiral was right. The sight of the terminal had them all standing with their jaw dropped.

Georg reminded them. "Stay together please."

Frank knew exactly where to go. Soon they were at the correct platform for the train to Washington D.C. It was ready for boarding. And as soon as their luggage was loaded it began to slowly leave the terminal. It picked up speed as it left the city behind them and headed south.

It took them out of the city and quickly was on tracks which were almost straight. The train's conductor kept a constant speed. It made one stop, in the city of Philadelphia. And Frank commented.

"Philadelphia was the nation's first capital. It's also famous for the place where our Declaration of Independence was written and for the bell which was wrung announcing it, _The Liberty Bell._

"The piece of land now known as Washington D.C. was purchased by President Washington. A large house was built for the president and his family. Today it's called the White House; it really is white. And a multiple of other government buildings were built nearby including one for the navy.

"Before we arrive there we should have lunch. The dining car is through this door in front of us. Georg tell your group and then follow me."

Georg no sooner had said _dining car_ was Kurt out of his seat. With the help of all the adults the children walked on the moving floor between the cars. They were seated and handed menus.

They were surprised to find similar food to what was served at the cruise ship's All-American restaurant. They each ordered their favorite. It wasn't long before everyone was finished eating and now were eager to arrive in Washington D.C.

After another hour had passed, the train arrived at the district's train station. After leaving the train car, Frank led into the grand concourse. In the ceiling were two large skylights, they gave the space an ethereal feeling. And once outside they saw the building was constructed with stone and had columns and arches. It wasn't as massive as the New York City terminal; still they looked at it in amazement.


	13. Their Home

Their Home

The group had an up close look at another of America's massive buildings, the District of Columbia's train terminal. Then they noticed several large cars parked in front of the building. John Knox spoke again.

"These cars will take you to your new home. The district doesn't have large homes; except for the old mansions which are now the embassies for foreign governments. Your residence is in the state of Virginia, the county of Arlington and the neighborhood of Ball. You will find it a most pleasant place to live."

"I'm almost speechless John. Your government is most gracious."

"You're welcome. You have a few days to get settled. I have the telephone number to your home. My office will call you to tell you when to expect a car to pick you up and bring you the Navy building."

John and Georg shook hands and then a very surprised family took seats in one of the cars and they drove away. Maria and Georg sat in the back seat of the lead car. The driver spoke to them.

"To get to Virginia we need to cross the Potomac River. The bridge I will take is new; it's much closer to all the government's buildings and makes the trip to your home much shorter."

After the driver made a few turns, this bridge loomed in front of him. The bridge had two lanes for cars; trolleys used tracks in the center. It wasn't a long bridge; the driver was on the Virginia side in a few minutes.

The driver continued to speak. "Directly ahead of us is Arlington National Cemetery. A street name Arlington Boulevard goes around it. At the junction with tenth street North I will turn right. Your home is near the junction of Tenth Street and Washington Boulevard. You will see it immediately."

"Maria, I don't believe I will any difficulty learning how to drive here."

"It seems easy to me too. And is that huge house our home?"

"Yes it is." The driver told them. "Let me pull in the driveway far enough so the other drivers can park behind us."

Maria continued to stare at a two and a half story white brick building with a porch across the front and on around the left side. An extended portico was attached to the house and was supported by round columns. It was long enough for a car to drive under it to a garage a short distance away.

Their car had stopped. Georg immediately opened the car door. He got out and offered his hand to Maria. By now the others were exiting their cars.

"Dad, is this really our home?"

"It is, Liesl."

By now another representative of the government had stepped out of the foyer. "Welcome to your home. I'm Walter; a member of the government's housing office."

Georg let go of Maria's hand to introduce himself.

"Hello Walter. I'm Georg Trapp and this lady beside me is my wife Maria."

"Pleased to meet you both. Let me tell you about your home. This house was originally built for an Army General who had a large family. Georg, it's perfect for you and you wife and children as well as all the adults who came with you. The first room we enter is a foyer. Let's go inside."

Everyone was extremely quiet as Walter led them to the portico and stood in front of a large wooden front door painted white. The door opened into a rather large foyer. A window on the left provided light for the room. There also was a small table with a lamp and a radio.

And Walter told them. "The door you see on your right is the front door. Any guests to you home will climb the few steps to the porch and ring the bell. When we exit the foyer we will be in the living room."

Maria spoke immediately. "Look at the size of this room, a room where we can all sit comfortably and talk. No more needing to crowd into a small sitting room."

"And the children will like the next room; it's a room where they can play inside. There's room to run around in and tables and chairs for doing schoolwork, playing board games or putting puzzles together. There's a door to a terrace there too."

"Dad, this house really is perfect for us."

"Yes, Louisa it is."

"Where's the kitchen and dining room, sir."

Maria and Georg held similar thoughts as they both contained their smiles. _Kurt would be the one to ask about them._ They both thought.

"I'll show you them now. Follow me young man."

The dining room was in the back of the house. Isabel and Katia in particular were overwhelmed by it size. The extra-long table could easily seat twenty. A large modern kitchen was there too.

Walter now told them. "The large kitchen has been stocked; cans and jars of food fill the shelves and the refrigerator and freezer have enough food for several days.

"The old cooking fireplace was left there; it can be used on our very cold days. Young man, are you pleased?"

"Yes, sir, I am."

"We are all pleased Walter. Kurt is always hungry child."

Walter smiled at Maria, before continuing. "I'm sure you are all going to be pleased with the bedrooms. There is one near the kitchen."

"Georg, I think I will use it. I won't wake anyone getting up early to cook breakfast.

"That's fine, Katia. Isabel, I'm sure there's a nice room for you upstairs."

"There is Georg. There's also an elevator to use; it was installed about ten years ago when one of the Army Generals had an elderly relative living with them. The home also has two staircases, one in the front and this door is to the back stairs. There's a light switch on the wall. Follow me please."

There was another door at the top; John opened it and held it open for everyone to enter the hallway on the second floor.

"Walter, how many bedrooms are up here?" Isabel asked.

"There are ten on this floor and another two in what might have been an attic when it was first built. Isabel, the room I picked out for you is this one on my right; my wife told me it gets perfect light for sewing or embroidery. Come have a look at it."

Isabel saw a modest size room with a big bed; the linens were in shades of blue. The dust ruffle was made from eyelet cotton lace. And a comfortable chair was near the large window.

"This is lovely, Walter. And your wife is correct. It gets very good light for needlework."

Walter then encouraged all the others to find their bedroom while he showed Maria and Georg the master suite at the other end of the hall.

Walter opened the room's door; the couple's eyes gazed at a larger four post bed with an all white simple bedspread. It was centered between two windows. At the bottom of the bed was a wide bench. And the floor was carpeted with a muted design in shades of brown and gold. The same colors were in the drapes.

"Walter, this room is perfect for us. I was expecting a more masculine room since army generals lived here."

"It may have been that way; but after General March became Chief of Staff in 1918 he changed things to be more child and dog friendly. He loved to sit on the floor and play with his children.

"I'm going to leave you now to get settled. My card is by the telephone in the foyer. Don't hesitate to call me. I also arrange for home repairs should appliances or anything else need fixing. I'll report to John that you are more than satisfied with your home. I can see myself out."

Before leaving, Georg and Walter shook hands again. And now life in America began.


	14. Marital Moments

Discovering, Exploring and Marital Moments

The couple stood admiring the master suite. It was much different than either had imagined.

"Our children are going to enjoy this carpeted area too, Maria."

"I know."

At that moment they both heard Gretl. "Mommy, mommy, come see our pretty bedroom."

"I've never heard her so excited."

"Neither have I, Georg"

The couple hurried from their room as Gretl ran to her mom; she took hold of Maria's hand and pulled her into the room. Georg was right behind them.

Immediately Maria saw a room painted in a light lavender color with two windows; each had flowered drapes with green leaves and pink flowers.

The beds' head and foot boards had been painted in a muted blue-gray color with a small flower on each. Also in the room was a dresser with several drawers; it matched the headboards.

Georg was thrilled his little girls were so excited. "Marta, do I see dolls?"

"You do, Daddy. We also have two doll beds and other toys too."

"While you play with your dolls, Daddy and I are going to see the other bedrooms."

Maria also spoke to Georg. "This is so much more than I ever expected."

"It certainly is."

The others had found their bedrooms. Friedrich and Kurt had found a perfect boy's room. It too had twin beds. The headboards were made from light oak wood and had matching bedspreads in colors of the American flag, red, white and blue. They each had a dresser and a desk and chair.

"Dad, do you think there's a school nearby?"

"I'm almost positive we'll find one not too far away. While you put your clothes away, your mom and I are going to find your sisters' rooms."

The couple didn't have far to walk before Brigitta called to them. "Mom, Dad, Louisa and I really like this room. It's big enough for two dressers and two big desks with bookcases. The chairs are comfortable too."

Then she asked the same question Friedrich had asked. Georg gave her the same response.

Maria added. "Maybe later today we can find the schools."

Liesl was standing in the hall in front of a bedroom with a single bed and a large dresser. It also had a desk and bookcase. The room was painted a light green. And the window curtains and bedspread were made from floral material.

She had heard Maria. "Mom, maybe we will also find clothing stores when we look for our schools."

"I have a feeling we will."

Kurt heard their conversation. "Can we have lunch first?"

"Is your stomach talking to you?"

"Not yet but it will, Dad."

"We can't allow it start. I'm sure Katia can fix us a quick lunch. Your mom and I will go ask her."

The couple quickly departed for the stairs; holding their laughs until the door shut behind them.

They still had broad smiles when they spoke to Katia. "Georg, I'm heating one of the pots that I found in the refrigerator; it smells like beef stew. There was also a bag of salad greens and I found bakery biscuits in the bread box. I believe it will fill Kurt's stomach."

"Maria, I'll go back up and tell everyone to get ready for lunch."

"And I'll help Isabel set the table."

Franz, Stefan and Phillip were already downstairs. They were in the foyer. Franz took his butlers' duties seriously.

"Guys, I'll probably be spending most of the day in here. I'm sure there's a comfortable chair we can bring from the living room and a large foot stool as well as a good reading lamp. It already has a radio."

The men were in the process of moving the chair and footstool when they heard voices.

"Sounds like Kurt has convinced Georg and Maria it's lunch time!"

"It is close to noon, Phillip. We can finish in here later. Let's join them."

Georg saw them enter the dining room from the opposite entrance. "Have you been exploring?"

"I plan to spend my time during the day in the foyer after you start going into the city."

"Thank you, Franz. I know my wife and the ladies will appreciate you guarding the home's entrance."

"You're welcome."

Lunch was appreciated by everyone. They had eaten everything Katia had prepared. And as Georg had told the children, he suggested they get ready to go looking for schools and the shopping district. They would leave once the dishes had been washed and put away.

Stefan and Phillip took this time to explore the shed they had seen by the garage. They discovered it had tools for gardening, maintaining the home's shrubbery and behind it was land which had remnants of garden furrows. Now Stefan had something to find when they went to look for the shopping district; a store where he could ask what could be grown this late in the summer.

By now everyone was waiting under the portico. "I think we will find downtown Ball behind our home."

"Okay, Stefan. You should lead us there."

"Georg, I think we should walk towards the street in front of the house and there we will go right past our house. Phillip and I both think we see faint outlines of buildings after we pass this large field."

The group didn't dally; everyone was anxious to see downtown Ball. The closer they got everyone was more and more convinced they had found it. But they were in for a surprise. These building weren't shops; they were schools.

"Dad, what does that sign say?"

"Washington and Lee High School."

"It's huge."

"Do you think I will go there?"

"Not sure Friedrich. I don't know if a high school is the same as Austria's Secondary schools. Let's keep walking and see what else is nearby."

They did keep walking and soon another large building was seen in the distance.

"Mom, that building in the distance might be another school."

"Possibly Brigitta, we will know when we get closer and can read that sign."

Georg read it. "The sign says, Jefferson and Davis Elementary School."

"Dad, what does elementary mean?"

"It must be a school for the beginning grades."

"Will I go there?"

"I think you will for now. I'm sure you will be in one of the higher grades."

"Mommy, will you still teach Gretl and me?"

"I could. But I think you would like to make friends with the other girls and boys. Hopefully, your Dad and I can visit both schools before he starts to work for Navy. Let's keep walking and see if we find any shops."

Georg reluctantly let loose of Maria's hand so she could hold both of the girls' hands. He knew they were a little scared. And Maria did feel their stronger than usual clasp.

After they passed the elementary school, the street they were on suddenly intersected with one which had shops of all kinds on both sides of the street.

"Georg, this is so convenient.

"It certainly is."

"Dad, can we look at all the stores?"

"We can Liesl."

"And Georg, I'll be last."

"Thank you, Franz."

This large group of people made heads turn in the cars which passed by them. A couple even honked their horn and the passengers waived.

Some of the stores had unfamiliar names like Woolworth Five & Dime and The Great American Tea Company; others had distinct names for clothing stores, men's, women's and children. A separate store sold women's lingerie and another shoes for everyone but babies and young children.

They also found a hardware store. "Georg, Stefan and I would like to go inside and ask about what can be planted for a late summer garden. There's a plot of land behind the shed which already has furrows; it should be easy to prepare. All the tools we need are in the shed."

"Of course you may."

"Dad, can Mom and I go inside the clothing store for women?"

"Who else wants to visit a store?"

"I do, Georg. I think The Great American Tea Company may be where we buy our food."

"Dad, Kurt and I would like to see what we might wear to school."

"Georg, all the girls can come with Liesl and me; after we visit the woman's store we can look in all the others."

"And from Isabel they heard. "I will go with Katia. I'm interested in that same store."

"Let's plan on all meeting back here in about thirty minutes. Come with me boys. I'm sure there's a clothing store for you. Katia and Isabel entered The Great American Tea Company store. Maria and the girls walked down the street and found the shop for women; where Maria, Liesl and even Louisa found dresses suitable for them.

Brigitta didn't find anything suitable for her there. She was pleasantly surprised to find a Pre-teen department in the girls' store where Marta and Gretl saw dresses they would like to wear to school.

And when the group came back together in thirty minutes, everyone had a comment. "Kurt, you'll be happy to know the store Isabel and I went in is where we buy food. Everyone, it's huge; you need a map to find everything."

Kurt's face held a big smile before he addressed Maria who was trying to contain her laugh. She was inhaling deeply as Kurt spoke.

"Mom, boys, except for young ones, don't wear short pants." And from Friedrich she heard. "And older boys wear a tie with either a coat or a sweater for school."

"Georg, we learned that no one wears capes. Everyone wears either a sweater or a fashionable coat."

"Looks like we have a lot of shopping to do before school starts."

"We most certainly do."

The group had grown weary; they headed for home.

The entire family gathered in the home's large living room after the dinner dishes were washed and put away.

"What a day this has been!" Georg exclaimed. "Just think. This morning our ship docked in New York City's harbor and we were immediately whisked away by American dignitaries. And we now have the pleasure of living in this grand home.

"It's been an exciting and busy day. We should all get some sleep."

"Georg, we men can secure the house. Everyone can go get ready for bed."

"Thank you, Franz. Gretl, are you too sleepy to climb the stairs?"

"No Daddy. Mommy will walk with me."

"Georg, give me a moment to ask God's blessings on us. In the church's vesper lectionary is written these words. _O Lord, make your presence known to us in this our home. May your holy angels dwell with us to preserve us in peace. And let your blessings always be upon us._

Instinctively everyone said, _Amen._ Georg, Maria and the children headed for the stairs. While Franz made sure Katia was safely in her room and the other two men locked all the doors.

The downstairs was quiet but upstairs the children were still talking. Statements like these were heard. _I can't believe where we are!_ And, _Our home is so nice!_

And there was Georg's reminder to the older children. "Try and calm down and get some sleep. I'm sure we will be busy tomorrow."

And Maria had helped the girls change into their nightgowns and was reading them a story. They barely heard any of it before they were both asleep. She quietly left the room.

Georg was waiting for her. "I think they will sleep better with the door open."

"I agree, Now, it's our time."

The newlyweds once again stopped and gazed at their bedroom.

"Give me a minute to put on my nightgown."

Georg had other plans. His hand rested on Maria's forearm.

"Maria darling, I don't need you in a nightgown. Remember, I've already seen you in your nightgown. I watched you dance around your bedroom; as a man you stirred my feelings. But when you almost ran into me, I could see your feminine features and only then did you grab your robe and tried to hide yourself.

"I've also seen you soaking wet; I could see your feminine features clearly. Besides it only comes off as we share ourselves and I will enjoy removing your clothes."

"Then let's begin. I'm more than ready to fulfill the scripture."

And so it happened. Their love was shared. The ecstasy of the moment was felt by both. They now lay together as they both came down from the mountain top.

Neither spoke until their hearts slowed and they had caught their breaths. Maria was first.

"Wow! I had no idea God made us to feel something so pleasurable it can't be described."

"I know darling. Now we should put on our nightclothes and try and get some sleep. You can use the bathroom first."

"I won't take long."

Maria grabbed her gown from the drawer where she had put it and went into the bathroom. She still felt the ecstasy of the marital pleasure. She hurried.

And Georg did the same when she returned to bed. And the couple slept close the entire night.

They hadn't realized their bedroom window faced east. The rising of the sun woke both of them. They kissed after they were fully awake. And each spoke those special words, _I love you._ And the very first day of living in America began.

Georg showered as Maria took a bath. They had just finished dressing when they heard the children.

"Liesl, do you think they are awake?"

"Shall we surprise them darling?"

Georg didn't wait for a reply; he quickly opened the door. And the parents heard. "Can we go downstairs now?"

"And see if breakfast is ready, Kurt?"

"Dad, I think all of us are hungry this morning."

Georg smiled at his oldest. "Yes, Kurt, you can lead us down the stairs. Don't run down them!"

He heard a faint, "I won't," as Kurt entered the stairwell. The others followed; walking down them more slowing. He followed behind Maria. They walked hand in hand to the dining room and were greeted by Isabel.

"Katia told me the breakfast casserole needs a few more minutes in the oven. There's juice glasses filled with orange juice and the coffee is hot."

And from Franz they heard. "I'll go tell Stefan and Phillip to wash-up; they've been loosening the soil in what looks like an old garden to get it ready for planting."

Soon Franz carried to the dining room a large casserole dish and set it on hot-pads beside a pile of plates. And Maria said a grace before he began to serve.

"Georg, the casserole is still steaming hot. Allow me to serve the children first so it will have time to cool."

"Good idea, Franz. And children you can cut into it so it will cool faster."

"We know, Dad. Mom told us this back at the villa."

Now Georg smiled at Brigitta and thought. _It would be her to remember._

"Then we should do it so we don't burn our tongues."

And Georg and Maria squeezed hands to keep from laughing.

When breakfast was over, they sat there and discussed what they would do that morning. The men had plans; Franz would finish fixing the foyer, Stefan and Phillip would work on their vegetable garden and Isabel would help Katia in the kitchen.

Georg decided he and Maria and the children would visit both of the schools they saw. After quick trips to the bathroom, everyone was ready to leave.


	15. The Schools

The Schools

Georg had to use his finger whistle to quiet the children; they were all talking at the same time.

"Does all this jibber-jabber mean you are excited about going to school?"

Friedrich answered him. "I am, Dad. I'm hoping it has good science classes."

"And I'm hoping it has classes where I can learn to speak and write English better."

"That's a lofty goal, Louisa."

"I think that's a goal for all of us, Dad."

"And it should be, Brigitta. Going to school will also allow you to make friends; something I'm sure all of you would like to do."

Georg and Maria saw them all smile and nod their heads and follow them out the door. Soon the high school building was in front of them.

"Georg, I don't see any other children."

"True Maria, maybe they're still on summer holiday. The administrative staff will probably be there. Let's keep walking."

Liesl soon exclaimed. "I didn't expect the high school to be such a fancy building!"

Her comment made everyone stop. They were gazing at an enormous building. In the middle was a wide staircase which was made from cement. Even the sides were cement.

This staircase led to the front door. On either side of the door were two large stone columns. This three story building was made from red brick and highlighted with several vertically fluted stone columns spaced equally with three windows in between them.

"Children, don't let its size intimidate you. I'll go in first, Maria."

Georg opened the rather large door to find it opened into a vestibule. He was immediately greeted by the person sitting behind a desk.

"Good morning sir. How may I help you?"

"I'm new to your town. I need to enroll my children."

"You must be Georg Trapp. The State Department called me to expect you. Are your children with you?"

"Yes, they're waiting with their mother."

"Please tell all of them to come in."

"Thank you, I will."

Quickly Georg opened the door to tell them. He didn't need to tell them to be quiet; they were speechless.

The lady had come from behind her desk and promptly spoke. "Good morning children."

They politely returned her greeting. Then she saw Maria. "You must be Mrs. Trapp."

"I am. You can all me Maria."

"Very well, I'm the principal, Rosemary Miller. To all the parents I'm Rosemary; to the students I'm Mrs. Rosemary. Everyone follow me to my conference room."

Rosemary could hear whispers. _She's very friendly. I already feel better._

This room had a large table with more than enough chairs for everyone. Rosemary sat where she could see everyone.

"Sir, which of your children do you wish to enroll?"

"I think only my three oldest, Liesl, Friedrich and Louisa. I also need to tell you they have never attended a school; they've always been taught at home."

"You're not the first to tell me that. Do they speak English well?"

"The oldest do. But Louisa told me she knows she needs to improve."

"Friedrich, do you have any goals?"

"Yes I do. I want to study science in hope of one day finding cures for diseases like Scarlet Fever. Our mom died from it."

"I'm very sorry. You will have that opportunity here at my school."

"Liesl, I suspect you have completed requirements for graduation. The only class you need is American History. Your brother and sister will take this class too.

"Now let me tell you when school starts. Here in America there's holiday named _Labor Day_. It's always held on the first Monday in September. It's a Federal Holiday, Georg.

"Many families plan a special celebration; some visit a place not too far away but most have a family picnic. I see smiles from all of you."

"We love picnics. It was on our first picnic with our mom that she taught us how to sing by teaching us a fun song."

"Maria, was that song DO-RE-MI?"

"Yes, how did you know?"

"We have an exceptional music teacher; her name is Victoria Grant. We have a chorus which performs twice a year. She also teaches at the elementary school. There she uses this song to give them a good foundation and soon they're able to sing almost anything."

"Our mom told us the same thing."

"I'm not surprised. Is your next destination the elementary school?"

"Yes, even my youngest girls will attend. They both told me they want to make friends."

"And I'll call there, Georg and tell Susan to expect you."

"Thank you."

Rosemary watched them leave as she thought. _What a remarkable family. There are no step-mother issues with any of the children._

As soon as the door closed behind them, the jibber-jabber began again. Georg and Maria were extremely happy with their enthusiasm for attending a real school. Their enthusiasm made them hasten to the elementary school.

It wasn't as big as the high school. But it was still a large three story building. "Maria, this looks like a smaller version of high school."

"It certainly does." She felt both girls tighten their grip on her hands. "Girls, don't let the size scare you. I'm sure it's as welcoming as the high school."

"I'm not intimidated by its size. Kurt, walk with me."

"Brigitta will never cease to amaze me, Maria."

"Me neither. You need to catch up to them or she will open the door and go inside."

Georg didn't speak; instead he hurried to catch-up to the two children. "Brigitta, allow me to open the door."

"Of course, Dad, I only wanted to hurry you."

"You did. Now we need to wait for your mom and sisters."

This school's entrance was very similar to the high school; it had smaller cement columns and the cement stairs were smaller both in width and number. And the sides of the building were shorter as well.

"We're all here, darling. The girls are ready to see their school."

"Okay, follow us inside."

Once inside they were greeted. "Welcome to Jefferson and Davis Elementary School. Rosemary called me and said to expect you. I'm Susan Williams the principal. My students address as Mrs. Susan; to everyone else, I'm Susan. And I see two little girls who look a little scared. Can you tell me your names and how old you are?"

"I'm Marta and I'm seven years old and I'm in second grade."

"My name is Gretl and I'm five and a half. But my mommy says I'm in the first grade."

Maria had a full smile as she spoke. "Let me explain, Susan. None of the children have ever gone to a real school. I taught them this summer; all of them are above grade level. I've never known children to be so eager to learn. The young girl standing with my husband is Brigitta; she reads as well as I do. She and her brother, Kurt had lessons were almost the same. I don't think Kurt would mind if she was in his grade level."

"I have no objection. Do you have time to tour the school?"

"I believe they would love to." Now Susan saw smiles from all of them including Marta and Gretl.

"Let me explain about this room. There's a flag pole outside but when the weather is bad all the students gather here for an assembly. One of the older children carries an American flag to the center and we say the Pledge of Allegiance together and sing one of our national songs. Then we pray together the Lord's Prayer. Lastly I give any announcements; like upcoming holidays, choral performances or field trips. Then they go on to their classrooms.

"This hallway on my left is where the little girls will find their classrooms. A couple of them are still being prepared for the first day of school. These first two are my kindergarten rooms; they only go a half day. All together I have about forty each year.

"Gretl, my first and second grade rooms are next; I have two. They are identical."

These rooms had six square tables made for four little people; when they sat their feet were firmly on the floor. Further down the hallway were two similar rooms for second grade.

Susan told them. "Now we can take the stairs to the second floor. Follow me please."

She opened the stairwell door and held in until Georg held while the remainder of the children entered.

"This hall is for my third and fourth grade students. They have more traditional desks."

The group saw three rows of ten desks which were not at all like what they had expected.

"Dad, these desks are really different. The chair is connected to the desk top.

"I see, Brigitta."

Susan had heard her too. "They are Brigitta but they come in different sizes. When you begin school the first thing my teachers do is make sure each student finds a desk which fits them. That means you can sit easily and your feet are flat on the floor.

"Children, if you like you can sit in them."

They looked at their dad for approval. "Go ahead, children."

They acted like the three bears did in the story; they found one that fit them perfectly. Now Susan took them to the other end of the hall and told them the classrooms there were for fifth and six grade students. Then she showed them the top floor and the classrooms for seventh and eighth grade students.

"Up here is also the library, a science laboratory and our music room. What do you think, children? Are you going to enjoy my school?"

Susan saw their smiles and heard their _yeses._

"Great, I look forward to welcoming you on the first day of school."

And as they walked home, mom and dad heard their happy jibber-jabber again.


	16. American Life

American Life

Seven happy children and two proud parents walked home with a skip in their steps. They were promptly greeted by Franz.

"How were the schools?"

Before Georg could answer Friedrich did. "They were great. They have the science classes I need to become a research scientist."

"And all of us can learn how to read and speak English better."

"That's terrific Louisa."

"And Franz, Gretl and me like our school rooms. We sit at a big table with little chairs."

"I see your big smile, Maria. You must have liked them too."

"I think all our children will get a fine education. Where are the others?"

"They walked into town. Phillip and Stefan wanted to visit the hardware store again and Katia and Isabel went to that store which sells food. They should be home soon."

"Are you telling me lunch isn't ready?"

"Kurt, it isn't lunch time for another hour and a half!"

"Georg, I saw a bag of apples in the refrigerator. Maybe Kurt would like one to take the edge off his hunger; I'm sure he will still eat a big lunch."

"Can I have one too, Dad?"

"You can Louisa. All of you can have one if you want one."

These weren't large apples but they did relieve the children's hunger until the ladies came home. Franz and Kurt waited for them under the portico. Kurt rushed to them.

"I'm so glad your home."

"Are you hungrier than usual?"

Katia didn't hear an answer; she saw Kurt's larger than normal smile.

"Well, you're not going to have too long to wait. I have a quick meal which I believe will fill your bottomless stomach."

"And Franz, we need to bring to bring this cart back the next time we go the food store; which by the way everyone calls it the A&P store."

"An interesting name, Isabel."

"I believe they are initials for its real name."

"Sounds logical, I'll help you carry these bags to the kitchen so you can fix lunch. It's not only Kurt who was hungry; all the children are. They each had an apple while they waited for you to come home."

The first bag Franz picked up was rather heavy. "Katia, what's in here?"

"Cans of tomato soup; all I need to do is mix the contents with milk and heat it on the stove. Then everyone can add pieces of cooked ham and crackers to their bowl of soup."

"This really sounds good, Katia."

"I think everyone will like it."

In about twenty minutes, the family was seated at the dining room table. Franz placed the large pot of soup at the end of the table. And Katia and Isabel had placed the bowl of ham and the platter of crackers on the dining room table.

As Franz began to serve everyone, Katia told them. "Most people crumble their crackers before adding them to the soup."

The platter of crackers was passed around and everyone did crumble them. Next was the bowl of small ham pieces. Kurt ate a piece before he had added a few to his bowl of soup.

"Ham is really good; it has a sweet salty taste."

After others had eaten a piece, they came to the same conclusion. The meal was consumed quickly and Katia had also bought a bakery cake for dessert. It too was appreciated by everyone; not a slice remained.

They didn't depart the dining room immediately. Isabel began to speak.

"Maria, we also located the town's Catholic church. It's on a side street not far from the A&P store. St. Mary Catholic church has Sunday masses at seven-thirty, nine and eleven."

"Georg, we should plan on attending this Sunday."

"Which time, Maria?"

"She didn't answer, Kurt did.

"Can we attend the first Mass?"

"So you will only be delayed by an hour before you can eat breakfast!"

Again Kurt gave his mom one of his endearing smiles. "Is that okay with everyone?"

Now Maria and Georg both smiled as they saw everyone nod. "And the breakfast casserole can be baking while we're gone." Katia remarked.

It didn't matter to Brigitta when they ate breakfast tomorrow; she had something else on her mind.

"Dad, this house doesn't have any books. Do you think Ball has a library?"

"It probably does."

"Can we find out?"

"I don't see why not. Do all you children want to come with us?"

The other six children nodded and they scurried to the bathroom before they once again paraded down the street in search of a library. Georg and Maria stopped when they came to the street with all the shops.

Georg thought out loud. "Ball must have a city government building. The library may be nearby."

"Do you think it may be by our church?"

"We can certainly look near it, Maria. Katia said it was near the A&P store."

"Yes, and I remember we turned right to go there. Follow us, children."

They hadn't walked far when they saw the A&P store on the other side the street. They crossed the street at the next corner. And as soon as they were near the A&P store they heard voices.

"Georg, those are children's voices."

"They seem to be coming from the street next to the store."

"Maybe they're at our church."

"Could be, Maria. Let's find out."

As the family started down this street the voices got louder and louder. Now they saw them. A group of about twenty boys and girls were having fun playing a game which Louisa recognized.

"Hey, everyone! They're playing _Freeze Tag_!"

One of the male adults heard her and walked towards them and asked.

"May I help you?"

"We were looking for a library when we heard the children playing."

"Are you the family living in the old Army Chief of Staff home?"

"We are. I'm Georg Trapp and with me are my wife Maria and our seven children."

"Hello, I'm Father Mike. When I play with the children I shed my priest's collar. Will you be attending my church?"

"Yes, my youngest son chose your early Mass so he doesn't have to wait long to have breakfast."

"A growing boy, Georg?"

"He's always been a big eater. Maybe you could help us. We were looking for your town's library."

"It's in our government square which is located three blocks from here. Turn right at the corner; you can't miss them."

"Thank you and we are looking forward to seeing you again on Sunday."

Georg led them back to the main street; walked the three blocks and soon Brigitta asked.

"Is everything in America built with red bricks?"

"I don't know but these building are."

There were three, one named _City Hall,_ another, _Courthouse,_ the last was _Margaret Ball Library_. It was a one story building with windows around its foundation which they would learn was the basement. And the building had stairs like both of their schools had; they were made from cement.

The lights were on so Georg knew it was open. But Maria spoke first. "When we go inside children; remember to use your quiet voice."

Georg went up the steps first; he held the door open as everyone entered. This was a large room with tables and comfortable reading chairs and tables with lamps. They were immediately greeted.

"Hello and welcome. How may I help you?"

"My ten year old daughter had me find your town's library; she would like to check out a couple of books."

"She will need a library card. I need her name and yours on the application; your other children can register for one too. Here are nine registration applications; I'm sure you and your wife would like one too. You can sit at the tables to complete them; then I'll take you on a tour."

"Very well, it shouldn't take us long."

It didn't. And on the tour they discovered the children's books were in the basement as well as a section labeled _Young Adults._ The librarian explained.

"Many of our newest residents don't read English well; some begin with children books, then the _Young Adult_ books and soon they can read everything. Take your time and find that special book for you."

"Thank you, we will."

Maria helped Marta and Gretl find a book to read. She found a set of books labeled, _Dick and Jane Readers._

Maria discovered they were all books about a brother and sister and their family. Each book was about different things they did, playing, having fun with their dog and many other activities.

"Girls, these books are perfect for you to read; the pictures will help you learn the words in the story."

Maria selected four, _Run Spot Run, Fun with Dick and Jane, Rainy Day and Christmas Day._

Soon everyone had a least one book to checkout; Brigitta had three. They returned home to find a cozy spot to read.


	17. More Exploring

More Exploring

Before Sunday came, Franz took a telephone call.

 _Franz, this is John Knox. May I speak to Georg please?_

"Certainly, let me find him."

It took him a few seconds; he was out on the terrace with the children and Maria. He looked up as he saw Franz enter the room.

"You have a phone call, sir. It's John."

Georg hurried there; Maria came too.

He picked up the receiver. "Hello John, this is Georg."

 _Are you beginning to get settled?_

"Yes we are. The children visited their schools; we found the shopping district, our church and the library. I'm anxious to learn how I can help your government."

 _Great, you will be picked up around eight on Monday and returned home by six._

"I'll be ready and waiting outside."

Goodbyes were said and the call ended. "I know you're happy to be working for the American government."

"I am, Maria. I'm still not sure how I can help."

"Remember what Davy told you. You commanded a diverse crew. America is made up of immigrants from many countries. You may be asked to help the navy officers learn how to make the men under their command function as a team."

"You may be right."

The couple was asked a question by Louisa. "Do you think there's a playground nearby?"

"I don't know." Georg answered.

"Maybe there's one near the elementary school." Maria stated before she continued. "There must be a place where the children have recess."

"You may be right. Louisa, go tell the others to get ready to leave and we'll go see if your mom is correct."

"Yes, I'll tell them to hurry too."

The others were as eager as Louisa to find a playground; they were ready in a few minutes. Georg and Maria led them back towards the elementary school.

"Maria, if there is a playground, I think we'll find it behind the school."

"You may be right. Let's walk on the sidewalk; it may lead us there."

"Children, follow us around to the back of the school."

All of them walked quickly and soon the playground was in front of them. They saw a fairly big piece of land with all kinds of playground equipment. There were three sets of swings; each one had four swings which hung a different lengths. Maria was attracted to a swing which had a chair on it.

She took Georg's hand to investigate it. "Who do you think this is for?"

He looked at it carefully. "Maybe it's for a baby who's old enough to sit alone. This bar gives the baby something to hold on to."

"Interesting, maybe one day we'll get to use it."

"You're not trying to tell me something. Are you?"

"No darling, but some day I hope to tell you I'm with child."

The couple shared a kiss while no one was looking at them and then walked in promenade position as they strolled around the playground.

They also saw three slides; each one was a different length. In addition, there was a playground Merry-go-round, a set of climbing bars, a pole with a large ball hanging from the top and a structure which was circular and also had bars to climb on it.

They stayed there all afternoon; Kurt reminded them it must be time for dinner; he was hungry. So were the others. And when they arrived there, Katia told them dinner would be severed in thirty minutes.

After dinner everyone was occupied; Brigitta was reading her book, the little girls had found coloring pages and crayons. Liesl and Louisa were working on a puzzle. Friedrich found a science book on one of the shelves. Kurt had found an erector set and was building a tower.

Even Isabel had brought her needlework to do. The men were discussing their garden. And Georg and Maria sat close on a small sofa as they were content to sit there admiring this happy scene.

And since they were going to the early Mass in morning, the children didn't complain about going to bed. And the others didn't stay there long either; all of them followed Georg and Maria as they left for the master suite. Where, perhaps, a baby might be conceived. Only time would tell!

When Sunday morning came, everyone was ready to leave for the seven-thirty Mass. And Katia reminded them. "The breakfast casserole is in the oven. The biscuits have risen and only take about twelve minutes to bake. So, Kurt, breakfast will be served shortly after we get home."

He smiled at her as they left for the church. When they arrived, they were surprised to see so many other families who came to this Mass. And as they were leaving, a man spoke to Georg.

"Pardon sir. Are you Captain von Trapp?"

"Yes I am."

"I'm Paul Adams. I recognized you from your picture in the Washington Post Newspaper. It was attached to an article about your escape from Austria. Is it really true that many Austrians support Hitler's desire to unite Austria and Germany into one nation again?"

"Sadly it is, Paul. Did the article mention the name Herr Zeller or Baroness Elsa Schraeder?"

"It did Captain. Did you know the Baroness was a German spy?" Paul saw him nod.

"My butler saw her leave the villa. That information told me to leave immediately. We hurried out the kitchen door for the train station behind the pasture for the cows. Luckily a train to Italy was there. I worried that some of the Austrian sympathizers might be at the last stop in Austria. They weren't. We made it safely to Rome where we boarded a cruise ship to come here.

"Your government accepted us as immigrants; and your navy has requested my services."

"Then I'll see you at the navy building in Washington DC. I'm the yeoman for Admiral Healey."

"Good to talk with you Paul. My family is anxious to return home; breakfast is waiting for us. I see my youngest son is already walking towards home. I better catch up to them."

And Paul was thinking. _I know his wife isn't the children mother but his children act like she is._ Paul's face had a pleasant smile as he watched them walk away.

And Kurt's pace had all of them walking fast to keep up with him. He and Katia arrived and went inside. She immediately removed the casserole from the oven and put in the tray of biscuits.

When Franz arrived, he sat two pitchers on the buffet; one with juice, the other full of milk. The coffee was kept hot on a warming element. Then the hot casserole was placed on trivets.

Everyone had used the bathroom and washed their hands and took their seats. Maria said the blessing. As soon as she finished, Franz began to serve.

The children all remembered what Maria had suggested they do help it cool faster. They and the adults all cut into their serving. Soon everyone had taken a small bite and found their serving cool enough to continue eating it.

The biscuits along with butter and jams were also passed around the table. Kurt had eaten two when he finally said. "I'm full."

And Louisa teased. "You should be! You ate more than dad did."

"I'm growing. I need more food."

And his parents just looked at each other and tried not to laugh.


	18. Day of Duty

Day of Duty

Laughter is contagious; Georg and Maria were soon laughing along with the others. It stopped soon and Liesl asked.

"I know Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest. We need to do something to help it go by faster."

"Liesl, God doesn't want Sunday to be somber. We can still have fun. After the dishes are washed and put away, we can walk into town. There we can look in all the stores' windows and find the ones where we can buy clothes. And we can even stop at the playground and you can play on all the playground equipment."

"That's wonderful, Mom. Louisa and I can even help dry the dishes and put them away."

It was not only the two girls who helped; all the children did by carrying their own dirty dishes to the kitchen. With many hands helping, the dishes were soon washed and put away. After a trip to the bathroom, they were lined up at the home's front door ready to leave.

Only the children and their parents went for this walk. Liesl and Louisa both had a good look at dresses American children wore. Then they stopped at the playground where they saw other children also playing on all the equipment.

Brigitta, being not the least bit shy, spoke to a girl standing near her. "Hello, do you attend the elementary school?"

"Yes I do. My name is Rosemarie."

"I'm Brigitta. I'll be going there too."

"What grade will you be in?"

"I think it will be the sixth grade with my brother Kurt."

"That's my grade too. I'll introduce you to all my friends. I hear my dad telling the others it's time to leave." The two girls parted and Brigitta ran to her parents.

"I met one of my classmates. She told me she would introduce me to her friends."

"That was nice of her."

"Yes, and now I'm really anxious for school to start."

"That day isn't far away; it will be here before you know it."

"I hope so, Dad."

Brigitta ran off to the swings where both Louisa and Kurt were pumping their swings so high the chains bent when they were at the apex of the swing. Brigitta wasn't able to get hers that high; still she had fun.

They had played for about an hour before walking home. Everyone was grateful for a large glass of lemonade; which they consumed before finding quiet things to do. After lunch, they either read their library book or played a board game they found in a closet. And after dinner they sang together. Their last song was the one which reunited the children with their dad; _The Sound of Music._

"Beautiful children! It's time for bed. Your mom and I will be up to kiss you goodnight."

With the children asleep all snug in their beds, the couple entered the master suite to once again enjoy marital pleasure.

Geog woke very early that Monday; he tired to slip out of bed without waking Maria. She too was awake.

"Are you excited about going to the navy building today?"

"I am darling. Their questions should be interesting. I'm sure I will tell our escape story at least once."

"You probably will. I'll say the morning prayers while I wait for you to shower and shave."

Georg gave his wife a tender kiss before heading for the bathroom. And Maria did pray the morning prayers. She added one of her own.

 _Father in heaven grant my husband, Georg, wisdom of words to help the government of this nation find ways to protect it from the force of evil which has filled the nations of the Old World. And in time help them to be free of this evil. For yours is the kingdom, the power and glory. Amen._ Maria concluded with the Sign of the Cross.

Now she flung her legs over the side of the bed and rose to her feet to stretch. Georg came from the bathroom in his underwear. He dressed while Maria took a bath.

By this time, others were awake too. They both heard voices of excitement. They left the master suite hand in hand.

"Marta and Gretl, you're both dressed."

They both giggled before Brigitta spoke. "I helped them mom. All of us are excited about shopping today."

"We need to have breakfast first."

"Yes Kurt we know."

"There's a lot of time between now and when the shops open. Your dad needs to eat too; his ride to the navy building is expected by eight o'clock."

Katia was prepared. She had made a large pot of oatmeal with nuts. She told them. "Sit down; the bowls of fruit are at each place. Franz will bring the pot to the dining room; he can serve you as you finish the fruit. I made more than enough; you can eat until you are full."

After Maria said the blessing, everyone began to eat. Georg was first to finish. "I'm going up to get ready to leave. You should be finished soon and you can stand outside and wait with me."

Everyone stood there; Katia and Isabel had left the dishes on the table; they could be washed later.

A few minutes before eight, Georg's car arrived. And to his surprise, the man he had met at church was the driver.

"Good morning Paul."

"And good morning to you too, Georg. Since I live in Ball, Admiral Healey asked me to come here and bring you to the navy building."

"I was told you will have a car for your use. We will leave at the same time; you can follow me to be sure you know your way home."

"I think I already know how but it's a good idea for me to follow you the first time."

After hugs for the children and a sweet kiss for Maria, Georg took his seat in the car and Paul drove away. Katia and Isabel returned to kitchen to wash the dishes; Maria went upstairs to straighten the bed linens on all the beds. The children were reading their library books.


	19. Shopping

Shopping

Around nine-thirty they were ready to walk to the stores in Ball. Franz went with them. Maria didn't comment; she was sure Georg had asked him to accompany them.

They strolled down the street beside their home to the street with all the stores. They stopped and Maria spoke.

"Let's walk down this side of the street first and return on the other side."

Maria led them; Franz was last. They went by the store named, _A &P._ They knew it was where food was sold. The front window of the next shop displayed household items like china, silver and glasses. They admired them for a few minutes before moving on.

The next shop was for children's clothes. "Mommy, can we go inside."

"We can Gretl."

As in all shops they were asked by a clerk. "Can I help you?"

"My youngest daughters need some new dresses."

"Will they both be going to school this fall?"

"Yes they will."

"Let me show you what most parents have bought."

The clerk led them to a rack filled with little girl dresses. "These are pinafore dresses. They look like they're made in two pieces; a dress with an apron over it. But they're all one piece. They are made with these little puff sleeves and also a longer sleeve for cooler days."

"Mommy, these are really pretty."

"Yes, they are Gretl."

"Madam, she and her sister can try one on."

"Girls, pick out your favorite and follow me."

While they were trying on their dresses, Brigitta and Louisa were talking. "I hope we don't wear these dresses, they look childish."

"Brigitta, I'm sure there's a store with dresses for us."

Meanwhile, the two little girls had each picked out a dress and Maria went into a dressing room with them to help them try them on. The girls liked their dresses very much. They both picked out two more and Maria paid for them.

Then they walked a little farther and found a store for ladies. There the oldest three found dresses in what the saleslady had called shirtwaist dresses. They looked like they were a skirt and blouse but they were sewn as one piece. They each found three they liked. Maria also bought two; she doubted she would have time to sew any dresses for herself.

"Mom, now can we find a store for Kurt and me?"

While they had been in the ladies' store, Franz had walked down the street a short distance.

"Maria, a store for boys and young men isn't far from here. Follow me everyone."

Friedrich glanced at the window display. "Mom, look. There's an outfit almost like what dad wore when he took us for the boat ride to see the sunrise!"

"I see Friedrich. Let's go in and ask about it."

Again they were greeted as soon as they entered the store. "Good morning everyone. How may I help you?"

"Both of my sons need clothes for school. My oldest asked about the outfit on display in your window."

The clerk tried not to show his thoughts. _This young woman must be their step-mother._ He cleared his mind and told them.

"That outfit is very popular with high school students. I'm sure I have it in his size. Follow me to the dressing room and I will take some measurements."

While Friedrich was being measured, Kurt was looking around the store. Franz was with him. He found a boy mannequin with a short sleeve shirt and long pants.

Franz told him. "This may be what older boys wear to the elementary school."

"I hope so. I'm eleven now."

Franz smiled as he remembered learning how Kurt had told Maria his name and age, _I'm Kurt and I'm eleven_ almost.

He then guided Kurt back to be with the others. It was at this moment Friedrich stepped out of the dressing room. "Mom, do you like it."

"I do. I know your dad will too."

"Madam, the pants also come in brown. And he will also need another shirt; I have a light tan one which looks good with the brown pants. The sweater can be worn with either.

"Thank you, I'll get both for him. My other son also needs clothes. He's eleven."

"He must be in one of the higher grades at the elementary school."

"Yes he is."

"Most boys wear a casual short sleeved shirt with long pants. I'll need to measure him to find the correct pant's size

Kurt was measured and he was extremely happy to learn he would wear the clothes from the mannequin. Maria bought him two pair of pants and two shirts. And instead of a sweater, Kurt found a light-weight jacket he liked.

"Madam, if everyone needs shoes you will find them at the shoe shop down the street. It sells shoes for everyone."

Friedrich and Kurt carried their bag with their new clothes and followed Franz outside. "Children, your shoes don't look worn or dirty. You can wear them to begin school. I know I will need to replace them when they get too small for you."

None of the children complained. Maria let them play on the playground before returning home. And it wasn't a moment too soon; storm clouds had gathered and they began to rain on them before they were safely under the portico.

Stefan and Phillip had hurried from the garden and were also there. This wasn't a torrent of rain.

"This kind of rain is good for the new seedlings. Katia will soon have fresh greens to make salads. It will also help the carrots and strawberry plants. I see you have bags in your hands."

"We have clothes for school Phillip. They're all very American."

"I'm sure your dad will like them too. We need to wash our hands; it's almost lunch time."

"Good, my stomach is empty."

"Kurt, you're not alone today; I'm hungry too. Come on everyone, we need to use the bathroom before we go see if lunch is prepared."

Louisa and Kurt were first to hurry upstairs. And soon Katia heard them as they took their places at the dining room table.

Today they found two platters with sandwiches already on the table. Katia had bought pre-cooked ham slices and sliced cheese. She remarked.

"Isabel and I were very surprised to find meat and cheese already sliced for making sandwiches. Each piece of bread has both mayonnaise and mustard spread on them before we added the meat and cheese. We also placed two bowls on the table filled with what are called _Potato Chips._

"They are thin slices of potatoes which have been fried in very hot oil and then sprinkled with salt."

"Now I'm really hungry. I'll say grace. Thank you God for the food you made. Let's eat."

The smirks were numerous. "God doesn't mind how you give thanks. He's grateful you did."

Katia heard their thank-yous when they finished the meal. The remainder of the day was filled with reading or playing a table game until Georg came home.


	20. Georg and the Navy

Georg and the Navy

The children were now anxious for their dad to come home. All of them wanted to show him their new clothes. It was shortly before five o'clock when they decided to sit on the steps of the porch to wait for him.

Franz and Maria found them there. "Looks like Georg will have quite a welcoming when he gets here."

"Yes. I'm anxious to see him too. Kurt, where are you going?"

"To see if I can see dad's car coming."

"Don't go too far!"

"I won't."

Kurt didn't need to go very far before he saw two cars approaching the house. He ran back there. He shouted.

"He's coming!"

Now everyone ran to the portico as Paul drove his car through it so Georg could park behind him. Both men exited their car and the children surrounded their dad.

"What a welcome! Thank you. Let me greet your mom."

Maria got a quick kiss and a whisper. "I'll greet you properly later." She smiled.

Paul had stepped out of his car. "Children, you dad is going to be a big help to the United States Navy. I'll see you on Sunday at church. You can meet my children."

Georg and Paul shook hands before Paul left. And Maria received a proper kiss. And Georg whispered. "You'll get many more kisses later tonight."

"I can hardly wait." Maria whispered to her husband.

The children didn't whisper; Gretl spoke louder than usual. "Daddy, mommy bought Marta and me American dresses for school."

"I'm sure you can also wear them for church. Did everyone find clothes they liked?"

"We did Dad. They're also suitable for church. Tell us about your day."

"I will after dinner. I have lots to tell everyone."

There was very little talking during dinner; everyone wanted to learn more about this place called Washington DC.

The furniture in their living room had been arranged so everyone had a comfortable seat to see and hear each other as they shared their day.

Georg began. "First, I'm going to tell you a little about the United States Capital. The District of Columbia is a small piece of land which was bought by the First President of the United States, George Washington, while the nation's capital was located in Philadelphia Pennsylvania.

"He hired a Frenchman to design the small city. His design is very different from anything I have ever seen. The names of some streets are letters of the alphabet and others are names of many of the states which, like Virginia, make up the country known as the United States of America.

"The house where the president lives is on a hill at one end of the city; and at the other end is the nation's Capital Building where all the official business of nation takes place. I will work in another large building located nearby. It even has its own restaurant.

"There are also two monuments in the same vicinity and two museums. I was told many schools visit them during springtime when the Cherry Trees are in blossom."

"Dad, this is really exciting to know. I hope our schools will visit them."

"I have a feeling they do, Friedrich."

And a little girl asked again. "Now can I show you our new dresses?"

"Of course, you can, Gretl."

Gretl and Marta both led him upstairs and directly to their room. Their dresses were still on their beds.

"The lady at the store told us these kinds of dresses are what all the girls our age will be wearing to school."

"That's good to know. Did you your sisters get dresses they liked?"

"Yes, in a different store. Kurt and Friedrich's clothes are also what boys wear to their schools."

Everyone else had come upstairs. Franz had locked the portico door and turned out all the lights. Maria helped the girls changed into their nightgowns. Georg checked on the other children; each had told him they would turn their light off soon.

Maria had read the girls a story and they were both asleep before she finished. Again she left their bedroom door open and met Georg in their room. He was in the process of hanging his suit in the closet.

He turned and immediately brought Maria close for one of those special kisses which was the beginning of sharing marital union. Their passion had left them breathless. Once again, after their hearts slowed, they put on their nightclothes and opened their bedroom door.

And they slept soundly until the sun once again filled their bedroom with sunlight. Georg's navy habit had him out of bed heading for the bathroom; and then Maria took her turn there.

She closed their door and once again the newlyweds shared themselves. They laid there and caught their breath. Soon they heard a voice; it belonged to Franz.

"Kurt, I doubt breakfast is ready."

"Can we go find out?"

"Come with me. Maybe Katia has squeezed some oranges for juice and you can have a glass to take the edge off your hunger."

And Maria said. "I better get dressed. The others will probably be awake soon."

She was correct. All but Marta and Gretl were awake. She was sure their voices would soon wake them; and they did.

After the girls were dressed, Maria took all of them downstairs. Katia had juice waiting for them too.

Meanwhile, Georg was getting ready for the day. It caused him to think. _I'm going to need a few more shirts and underwear. I suppose on Saturday I'll need to go shopping._

His first beverage wasn't juice; it was coffee. Another habit left from his navy days.

He teased his children. "Thank you for waking me so early. Now I won't need to drive very fast."

All of them giggled before Georg asked them. "What are you going to do today?"

"I want to go play on the playground again. Maybe we will meet some of our classmates there."

"Good idea Kurt. I'll be ready to leave in a few minutes; you can come outside with me."

Georg carried his old navy satchel; another item he had found that the seminarians had packed for him. After hugs and kisses from the children and a romantic kiss for Maria, he got in the car and drove away. Everyone watched until they could no longer see it.

"Children, I'm going to help Isabel straighten all the bed linens."

"Louisa and I are going to the kitchen and help Katia."

"I'm sure she will appreciate your help."

"Mom, can Kurt and I help in the garden?"

"What will you do?"

Stefan answered. "They're going to prepare little signs for the rows; sprouting seeds all look similar. And then they can help us plant the remainder of the strawberry plants we bought; we should have berries in about three weeks."

With everyone occupied, the morning went by fast. After lunch they went to the playground. And there they did meet other children who would be their classmates.

They read a book until Maria told them. "We should go outside and wait for your dad."

"Is it really time for him to come home?"

"It is Brigitta."

And once again their dad had a welcome home party under the portico. Life in America was very good.


	21. Everyday Living

Everyday Living

The next morning was almost a repeat of yesterday; the early morning sun had woke the newlyweds. They took full advantage of their private time.

The other adults in the home were also awake; Katia was already in the kitchen brewing coffee and squeezing oranges for juice. Franz was in the foyer and both Stefan and Phillip were outside enjoying the fresh cool air of the morning as they pondered their work on the garden.

The children were also waking. In a matter of moments, even Gretl and Marta were dressed and talking rather loudly in the hall. Their parents heard them; Maria came out of their room in her robe.

"So you are excited to begin a new day!"

"Yes Mom, we want to play on the playground and maybe meet some of our classmates."

And Kurt added. "I need breakfast soon before my stomach talks to me."

"Everyone can go downstairs; your dad and I will be there shortly."

Maria returned to master suite to dress. "I suppose you heard the children."

"I did. I need to ask Franz to buy me some more underwear so Isabel doesn't need to wash my clothes so often."

"He and the other men may need to do the same."

"You may be correct. Are you ready to go down?"

"I am."

The newlyweds found everyone waiting at the table for them. "Good, you're both here."

"Has Kurt been badgering you to serve, Katia?"

"Not just him, Georg: all the children told me they're hungry this morning."

"I see. Maria will you say the blessing please."

She smiled as she remembered her first dinner at the villa when she had to ask to thank the Lord.

"Of course I will." She waited for everyone to fold their hands before praying.

"Lord, you gave us sunshine and rain to grow the food we eat. May it nourish our bodies to live everyday with thankful hearts and loving ways. This we pray in Thy Name. Amen."

And everyone said "Amen." Then the dining room was very quiet as everyone ate. Georg was the first to finish.

"Children, while you finish eating, I'm going to get ready to leave. I want to leave a little early to be sure I'm on time."

Like yesterday everyone came outside to watch him leave. And also like yesterday, Maria went upstairs to straighten the children's bed linens; but she was in for a surprise. All their beds were already done.

She didn't realize Liesl had followed her. "Mom, Louisa and I straightened them."

"Even the boys' beds?"

"Friedrich did his and then helped Kurt. They even put their clothes in the dirty clothes basket."

"I thank you. Now I can help Isabel do the laundry."

Maria carried the clothes basket down the stairs to a room called a basement. There Franz had discovered two appliances, a washing machine and a clothes-dryer and also an ironing board and an electric iron.

Maria found Isabel there; she was reading the instructions. "It says to first select either, small, medium or large according to how much you need to wash, and it also says to separate the white clothes from the colored ones."

"Okay, I see another basket we can use to sort the clothes."

In a few minutes, they had a basket full of white clothes, mostly underwear along with a few white shirts.

Isabel commented. "This is probably the amount of clothes that requires a lot of water; I'll turn the knob to large. Now the instructions say to add the soap."

"Isabel took a box from a shelf above the washing machine and read the instructions out loud.

"Use a third of a cup for a small amount of clothes, two thirds for medium and a full cup for large. I think we have a large amount. I'll add a full cup of soap and turn on the water and then add the clothes and close the lid.

They both waited until the machine's motor began to slosh the water around.

"Maria, the machine will turn off automatically in about thirty minutes. Then we can place them in the dyer. I'll set the temperature for medium. Then all you need to do is turn it on by pressing this button."

"This isn't at all complicated; I'll come down and put the clothes in the dryer. Then I'll wash our dresses and last the men and boy's pants."

Maria realized it would take several hours to wash and dry all the clothes, she didn't wait to finish before she took the children to the playground. It was about nine-thirty when she told the children to get ready to leave.

They were very pleased. Once again Franz went with them. When they arrived at the playground, they found many mothers there with their children. The girl Brigitta knew was also there.

She had seen Brigitta first and hurried to speak to her. "Hi Brigitta, I want to introduce you my friends."

"I want to meet them too."

Maria was pleased as she watched the two girls walk away. And she was also pleased to see her older children talking with some of the others who were there.

Franz told Maria. "While the children play, I'm going to the men's store to buy underwear and a couple of shirts for all of us men. That way you won't need to wash clothes almost every day. It won't take me long."

"That's fine. I feel perfectly safe here."

Marta and Gretl were still holding her hands. "Girls, I see some children who look like they might be your classmates. Let's walk to them."

Their hand clasp was firm. Maria knew they were a little scared. When they arrived in this part of the playground, which had smaller playground equipment, one of the mothers spoke to Maria.

"Did you attend Mass at St. Mary's church this past Sunday?"

"Yes, I did."

"I'm Paul Adams' wife; he's the man who drove your husband to DC. My name is Maryann."

"Pleased to meet you, I'm Maria."

"I read about your escape from Austria. That must have been a harrowing experience."

"Everything happened so fast; there wasn't time to think about it. Georg had planned. We got on a train at the station near the villa's pasture. It traveled rather fast and had us in Italy where Georg knew we were safe because the Germans couldn't enter Italy. We boarded a cruise ship at Rome's port. All of us relaxed and had a wonderful time.

"And now we feel privileged to be living in the former home of the Army Chiefs of Staff. We needed a large home because Georg didn't leave anyone behind. In addition to his seven children from his first wife, who had died from Scarlet Fever, all the people who worked for him came too."

"How did you meet Georg?"

"Maryann, it's almost like a good romance novel. I came to take of the children at the beginning of the summer. I was a postulant at the Abbey in Salzburg. I'm sure the Reverend Mother chose me because I had great difficulty conforming to all the rules and I was also a teacher. Georg left for Vienna the next day.

"I now know he never got over his losses. First was losing the war in which he had so valiantly fought. And then the navy port was given to Italy. Then a few years later his wife died from Scarlet Fever. Each child reminded him of her. He often left the children with a governess. They played all kinds of pranks on them, causing them to leave. For me it was a frog in my pocket and a pine cone to sit on at the dinner table."

"You're right. This would make a good novel. Tell me more."

"I didn't leave. I surprised the children by telling the how kind and thoughtful they were for the gift they left in my pocket. By now all but the oldest girl were sniffling and crying. I almost had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing.

"Of course Georg wasn't amused. Just then his butler came to the dining room to deliver a telegram. His oldest daughter, Liesl, was quite interested in who delivered it. I watched her sneak out of the dining room. And Georg announced to the others that he was leaving for Vienna in the morning and would return with a lady friend, a Baroness and a man named Uncle Max. The children were quite happy about seeing this man."

"Georg left the dining room shortly after finishing his desert. Now I was alone with the children. They took me upstairs to their bedrooms. The older children assured me they would turn off their lamp soon. I took these two girls to their room where I read them a story and they both fell asleep.

"I went on to my room where I pondered all that had happened. It soon began to rain; I closed one of the windows and then I got ready for bed and knelt by my bed to say my prayers.

"My back was towards the open window. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Liesl, dripping wet, trying to sneak out of my room. She was worried I was going to tell her father. I coerced her to tell me the truth. She had gone out to see the delivery boy. I sent her into the bathroom to change into my extra nightgown.

"Meanwhile the rain became a thunderstorm. And after one very loud crack of thunder, the youngest girl, Gretl, opened my door and stood there petrified. Soon the others came too. I sang them a song until the storm passed. Georg found them there; again he was not amused. I begged him for material to make them play clothes. He refused and left abruptly. The children went back to their rooms and now I pondered again.

"The housekeeper had told me the drapes in my room were going to be replaced. I realized I could use it to make their play clothes. We went everywhere in them. I was happy and so were the children.

"On one of our outings I taught the children a song to sing for the Baroness. When he heard them singing, he couldn't believe it was them. I was sure he was going to be angry. But he wasn't. He remembered the song and sang with them. And everything changed.

"He began to ignore the Baroness; he wanted to be with me and his children. My feelings scared me when he asked me to dance an old Austrian dance with him. I ran back to the Abbey after the Baroness told me I was in love with him. After two days there the Revered Mother sent me back to find the life I was suppose to live.

"The children and I had a happy reunion. Then one of the children told me he was going to marry the Baroness. I felt like I had been kicked in the stomach. He told the children to go to dinner. Then he asked me if I was there to stay. I told him only until he could find a new governess.

"I had no idea what would happen next. Liesl overheard a phone conversation the Baroness had with a German man. She came to my room terribly freighted and told me what she heard.

"I then dressed and went downstairs to tell Georg what Liesl had told me. Then he told me the Baroness was a German spy. Later that day, she was seen leaving the villa. That triggered Georg's military mind. We packed quickly and left the villa.

"We boarded a train to Italy and traveled to the port near Rome and boarded a cruise ship to America. Georg and I were married by the ship's captain. Now we want to ask Father Mike to bless our marriage."

"Oh my! Your story is fascinating. Tell me the girls' names."

"The one with the long dark hair is Marta, she's seven. Gretl is my five year old."

"Girls, I have daughters the same age. They're playing in the part of the playground made especially for younger children. Would you like to play with them?"

"Can we Mommy?"

"Of course you can."

All of them walked the short distance to this playground where Maryann introduced the girls to her daughters

"Rosemarie and Rita, these two girls are going to be in your class at school. Say hello to Marta and Gretl."

"Hello, do you want to swing with us?"

"Can we Mommy?"

"Of course you can. I'll wait right here."

They ran off and had the best time. Soon Kurt's stomach talked to him and he told Maria. They said good bye to the other children and left for home.

They would later tell her they were really anxious for school to start. They had each found someone in their grade who would meet them the first day of school and help them find their way to each class.


	22. Visiting DC

Visiting DC

The children were really excited to start school. Each day one of them would happily announce how many days remained until that first day came.

Georg was no different than his children; he looked forward to his day at the navy building in DC. He had discovered he did have things to share with the leaders of the Navy.

The children passed the time by playing at the playground almost every day. Rain kept them home two days. They read their library books or played table games like Checkers, Chess or the card game, Slap Jack. And Georg arrived home at about the same time each day.

Finally it was Friday. After dinner Georg told everyone his plans for Saturday. "How would like to go to DC tomorrow?"

"Yes Dad, then we could see all the things you told us about." Friedrich said for everyone.

"Okay, we'll need to take a bus there. Paul told me one stops on the corner by our house. We'll leave after the breakfast dishes are washed and put away."

"Daddy, Gretl and me met one of our classmates."

"That's wonderful, girls."

"Dad, all of us met at least one person who would be in our class. Now we are really looking forward to school beginning."

"You know that makes me very proud. We're going to have a busy day tomorrow. You should go get ready for bed. Marta and Gretl are already yawning."

No one complained. Franz and the men closed up the house. And Georg and Maria talked together.

"Georg, I was really surprised the girls weren't one bit shy about meeting their classmates. They are Paul's children; his wife spoke to me. Her name is Maryann. She had read about our escape. I explained how it happened. She then asked how I met you.

"I told her my story. And I told her we were married on the ship and now want to ask Father Mike to bless our marriage. Something we should do on Sunday."

"Yes we should. And now it's our time."

"My most favorite time of the day; love me darling."

"My pleasure, Maria."

Sleep came quickly to the couple and in the morning they were awakened by well-rested children eager to go to Washington DC.

"They're excited Georg. I'll dress first and take them downstairs."

"I take it you are all eager to go to DC."

"Yes Mom, all our bed linens have been straightened too."

"Let's go down. Maybe Katia has your juice ready."

They found she did and Maria had a cup of coffee. Soon everyone was there. The blessing was said and they ate breakfast. No one carried on a conversation. All of them were eager to see DC.

Soon it was time for them to leave; the bus to DC was on time. Georg had told them.

"The bus will take longer to travel to DC because it will make several stops. I don't expect many other passengers to get onboard this early on a Saturday morning."

Even with the stops the bus arrived in DC in about forty minutes. The family left the bus at the first stop; directly in front of them was a huge building.

Georg had been told about the buildings they would see today. "Everyone, this structure is in remembrance of a man who was President during a war which was fought between the States in the north and those in south. Details don't matter; war is always terrible.

"The words, which are inscribed on its walls, are an address President Lincoln gave on a battlefield after the war was over. I doubt he had any idea the address he gave would be remembered and probably it never occurred to him such a beautiful monument would be built to honor him.

They went up the steps to enter the building; immediately they saw the gigantic statute of Lincoln sitting in a huge chair. They stood in silence as they glared at it.

"Dad, the statue looks so real." Everyone agreed with Friedrich. They were also very quiet; it was almost like they were in a church. They quietly left.

Georg now told them about the tall structure they could see in the distance. "What you see in the distance is a monument to Georg Washington. He was the general who led the war which freed America from the British and also the first President of America. It has an elevator which takes people to a viewing area in the very top of the monument."

"Can we go up there?"

"We sure can. It's not a long walk."

A guard greeted them. "The elevator is on its way down. As soon as the passengers are off, you can get in the elevator. It's not a fast elevator; it takes about two minutes to reach the top. There you can get out and look out all the windows."

"Dad, this sounds exciting."

"I'm not so sure Kurt."

Maria agreed with Gretl but didn't tell her; instead it was. "Gretl, you can hold my hand."

Gretl took a firm hold of Maria's hand but started to relax as the elevator slowly moved up to the top. Kurt and Louisa were the first to exit.

"I can't believe how far we can see. Dad, do you know what that building is which looks like a castle?" Louisa asked.

"I was told it's both a museum and an administration building. Gretl let me hold you so you can see it."

"Marta, I'll hold you." Franz said as he picked her up.

"It really does look like a castle. Can we go inside it?"

"We can."

The group hurried from the elevator and walked quickly to this building. Georg found the entry door and Franz held it opened for everyone. They entered a large room with paintings on one wall, multiple display cabinets and bookcases filled with books.

There was also a sign pointing a children's room. Brigitta read and exclaimed. "Dad, can we visit this room."

"Of course we can. Follow me everyone."

Shortly, they were standing in front of this room with the words, _Knowledge Begins in Wonder,_ in bold letters above the door. And Brigitta who was closest to the door exclaimed.

"This room really is for children. Marta and Gretl all the displays cases are at you height."

Maria let loose of their hands so they could go inside with Brigitta. All of them looked in the display cases and were amazed at things they saw. On display were all kinds of birds and fish. A fish tank in the center of the room held live fish.

They heard the chirping of live birds in a cage hanging from the ceiling. And Maria commented about the ceiling.

"Look at the ceiling children. It's beautiful."

They saw an ornate, leafy trellis opening up to a clear, blue sky, peppered with colorful birds painted on it.

Mom and dad heard wonderful comments from all the children and even the other adults. The morning had passed. Georg was sure Kurt would soon tell him he was hungry.

"Let's walk back to where we started. There's a hotel nearby with a wonderful place to eat lunch. Then we can tour the White House, the President's home."

"We can really go inside, Dad?"

"Yes, we can."


	23. Lunch and the White House

Lunch and the White House

Everyone walked quickly back to where the car was parked. And only a short distance from it was the _Mayflower Hotel._ The hotel's front door caused them all to stop and stare at it. The doorman noticed them.

"Yes, that door really is made from gold and inside you will see more things made from gold and also the paint used is a gold color."

He held the door open for them to enter. They were all too astounded to speak; the lobby was gorgeous. Georg knew where he was going. He took Maria's hand as he said. "Everyone follow me."

He led them through the lobby to a restaurant with the name Garden Terrance. Upon entering Stefan spoke.

"I never expected a room inside a hotel to have flowers beds and some small trees. And do I hear birds chirping?"

"You do. They're from that aviary which is on the other side of the screen. It has many species of native birds."

The head waiter was surprised to see this large group of people. He spoke immediately. "Give me a few minutes to have tables arranged so you can sit together."

"We're in no hurry."

Georg heard Kurt as he spoke to Friedrich. "I hope this food is good. I'm really hungry."

Georg smirked but didn't speak. The head waiter did. "Follow me please."

The tables had been arranged in an arrangement which resembled a large dining room table. They quickly took their seats. Waiters gave everyone a menu.

Immediately Georg heard. "Dad, this menu is almost identical to the menu at All-American restaurant on the ship."

"Yes it is, Brigitta. And I'm sure everyone already knows what they would like to order."

Most everyone ordered the same meal they had on the ship, Katia and Isabel decided to try something new. They had what the waiter told them was an Egg-Salad sandwich. All of them selected the drink with the name, _Coca-Cola._

After taking their first sip of this beverage, they commented on how the bubbles from it tickled their nose. There was little talking while they ate. All of them were all looking forward to seeing the White House.

After using the hotel's facilities, they hurriedly exited the hotel. They could see the White House in the distance. Maria remarked.

"It's very large, Georg."

"I was told, it's not only a home but it's also where the president has his office. It also has offices for his staff. The wife of the president also has an office there; her assistant has a separate office."

Georg noticed a young man was standing beside a sign which read. _White House Tours Begin here._ He immediately noticed this large group and asked.

"Are all of you taking the tour?"

"Yes."

"My name is John. Welcome to the _People's House._ It is most often called the _White House._ Later in the tour I'll explain how it got that name. The corner stone was put in place on October 13, 1792. It wasn't opened until November 1,1800.

Since the people who founded America were from Europe, they built homes which were like those in Europe. The architecture of the house has its roots in the buildings the Romans built, massive structures with extra-large and even circular porticos.

"The first president to live here was John Adams. His term ended in a few months and Thomas Jefferson became our president. He immediately added two wings; now known as the _East_ and _West_ wings. We will walk through a sunny hall or _Colonnade_ , its official name.

"There are several small rooms on the first floor. The first room is a library which contains an assortment of books for all ages, including children's books. The furnishings are legitimate pieces from the early1800's."

"Is it really used?" Brigitta asked.

"Yes, mostly by the children of the president. He has books in his office too."

"The next room is appropriately named, _The China Room._ It is a display of the china used by each First Lady for formal dinners. First Ladies use this room for teas, meetings, and smaller receptions.

"I'll give you a few minutes to look around."

The ladies oohed and ahaed over them. Georg noticed the boys weren't interested in the displays.

"Boys, be patient. I'm sure there will be rooms which interest you."

It wasn't the next one. It was a sitting room for ladies: a bathroom was also there.

The next room brought this comment from several of them. "I don't think I've ever seen a red room!"

"Yes, it is rather bold. The room's chandelier is its most spectacular feature. The 36-light French Empire chandelier was fashioned from carved and gilded wood in the early 1800s. The next room is really interesting; let me show you.

"You will see large panoramic landscape paintings of interesting sights in America; Natural Bridge of Virginia, Niagara Falls, New York Bay, West Point, a military school and the Boston Harbor, which is noteworthy as the start of our revolutionary war with the British, the Boston Tea Party."

"Dad, mom told us about the Boston Tea Party and how it started the Revolutionary War which the Americans eventually won."

"And then these same Americans then formed a new nation built on the premise all men are created equal. Every person can live the life they were meant to live."

"Mom told us that too."

"I see John is leading us to the next room; let's follow him."

As soon as Friedrich saw a large map on the wall in front of them, he asked. "Why would the president have a big map of Europe?"

"Do you remember why we left Austria?"

"I do. That new leader in Germany wanted you for his navy. And that man Herr Zeller attempted to help him. I still can't believe the Baroness was helping him."

"Is there going to be another big war?"

"I'm afraid there is. But I doubt the United States government would ever send men into battle. It may find other ways to help."

All of them heard Maria. "Boys, did you enjoy your time with your dad?"

"We did, mom. What did you and the others learn?"

"John told us all about the role of a First Lady, the wife of the president. And Stefan and Phillip learned about the horses the presidents rode and the garden flowers, including the Cherry Trees. He also told us about the second war with the British when they set fire to the White House. All the soot stains on the outside were visible, so they painted it white and ever since it has been known as the White House."

John had waited for their conversation to end. "The exit you will use takes you through the Entrance Hall and Cross Hall which distinguished guests use. You'll also see the large staircase to the family living quarters. Can I answer any questions before you depart?"

Georg answered him. "You gave us a fine tour. It's time for us to return home."


	24. A New Week

A New week

Sunday, being the first day of the week, had everyone up and dressed to attend the early Mass at their church. Once again everyone heard Kurt grumble about not eating breakfast first.

And his dad told him. "Kurt, I don't think you will faint from hunger; drink some water."

The disappointed boy did drink a glass of water but still grumbled to himself. And reluctantly went out the door with his family. Louisa walked with him.

"I'm hungry too. This Mass isn't very long. And Katia will serve breakfast as soon as we get home."

"I know."

The closer they family got to the church; they saw a large group of people climbing the steps.

"Look Kurt, there are many more children attending this Mass than last Sunday."

"Maybe I won't be the only child whose stomach makes noises."

"We may be hearing moms and dads trying to quiet their small children."

Maria and Georg had seen all the children too. "It's nice to know there are so many families who also like this Mass time."

"Yes it is Maria. Our children won't be so conspicuous. I also see other families like to sit close to the front."

"The third pew from the front is vacant; we can sit there."

The organist began the prelude music before the family took their seats. They watched the altar boys light the candles on the altar.

Maria whispered to Georg. "Maybe Friedrich or Kurt will be an altar boy one day."

"They may Maria."

In a moment the organist began the processional hymn; a signal to the parishioners to stand. And soon the choir from the loft in the back began to sing. It was a hymn Maria knew; she quietly sung along with the others in the congregation.

The cross bearer led the procession from the rear of the church to the altar. The hymn concluded and Father Mike began the Mass. The prayers were said and scripture was read. The essence of the Mass began. No Catholic needed a prayer book to follow the consecration of the wafer; the motions of the priest told them.

And within moments, the people were coming forward to partake in communion. Because there were so many people, it took longer than usual. Kurt was not pleased. He sat with both hands covering his stomach.

Before Father Mike gave the benediction which concludes the Mass, he made announcements.

"It's great to see all of you this morning. I hope everyone enjoyed their summer vacation. I know most of you already know about our picnic on Labor Day. It will begin at noon. The ladies of the church will be in the social hall to accept your food dishes at eleven o'clock. The men will set-up the tables in our courtyard at the same time. Please stand and sing our concluding hymn."

After the first stanza, the altar boys extinguished the candles and the Cross bearer led them from the altar where Father Mike pronounced the benediction.

"The Mass is ended. Go in peace to love and serve the Lord." And the congregation responded. _Thanks be to God!_

All the people exited rather quickly; Kurt was pleased. He was also pleased when Katia told him he could walk home with her and Franz. He didn't know his parents didn't leave immediately.

As soon as they were on the sidewalk in front of the church Maria heard. "Mommy, there's Rosemarie and Rita."

"I see Marta. You and Gretl can go speak to them."

She let loose of their hands and they immediately started a conversation with them. Paul spoke to the couple.

"My daughters told me all about meeting you at the playground."

"Mine did the same. I was surprised; they're both usually very shy."

"Are you coming to the picnic? It's always a lot of fun. After we eat we usually walk to the main road and watch a small parade. The band from the high school marches in it."

Georg looked at Maria for an answer. "Sounds like a lot of fun. What kind of foods do people bring?"

"The ladies always make sure there's a wide variety; some bake a ham and slice it, others fry chicken. There are always plenty of side dishes and desserts."

"Georg, Katia makes a fabulous German potato salad."

"Perfect, Maria."

"Speaking of food, Maria, we better get home so our famished son can eat."

"Yes, we should."

They said their goodbyes and Maria and Georg were surprised when Marta told them she was hungry too.

It didn't surprise either parent to find Kurt outside watching for them. "What took you so long?"

"We learned all about the picnic on Monday. It should be a lot of fun, Go on to the dining room; we'll be there as soon as we wash our hands."

They heard Kurt announce. "They're home Katia; we can eat now."

When Georg and Maria arrived, he quickly said grace and "Pass the butter, please." Then grabbed a biscuit from the platter near him; covered it in butter and devoured it.

His parents held their laugh in but smiled broadly. There were giggles from his siblings. Franz then cut servings from the casserole and served everyone. While it cooled, they each had a biscuit with butter. Katia also had a large tray of pastries to finish the meal.

She saw nothing was left. "I purposely prepared all this food to last everyone to dinner time."

"I'll be ready to eat again by then."

"I'm sure you will, Kurt."

More giggles were heard. Georg reminded everyone. "While our food digests, everyone should find a quiet activity to do."

They did. Some read. Marta and Gretl colored. Georg and Friedrich played chess. And Maria looked at her family and prayed silently. _God, I thank you for all the blessings you have given us. We now strive to follow your commandments as we learn how we can serve you. Amen._

Dinner was nothing fancy; it filled everyone. Singing occupied them until bedtime. And the married couple enjoyed their marital time together.


	25. Church Picnic

Church Picnic

The morning began earlier than usual for Katia. She not only had breakfast to prepare but also the item she was bringing to the church picnic. She had decided on German Potato Salad.

Knowing that the first words out of Kurt's mouth would be, _I'm hungry,_ she prepared the breakfast casserole. While it was baking, she sat an extra-large pot of water on the stove. And then she added two bags of red-skinned potatoes and heated the water to a boil; then turned down the temperature to let the potatoes simmer until a fork could easily penetrate the cooked potatoes.

Up in the master-suite, the couple was once again awakened by the sun shining in their window. This wasn't a morning for marital activity; they kissed before Maria spoke.

"I'm going to get dressed and see if I can help Katia this morning."

"I'll be down shortly."

Maria quietly walked the hall to the stairs. "Good morning, Katia. What can I do to help?"

"The biscuit dough is ready to be cut into biscuits; here's the round cutter I found. I'll take the casserole out and adjust the temperature for the biscuits."

Katia then tested the potatoes to see if they were cooked. She found they were and carefully poured the water and the potatoes into a colander she had placed in the sink. She let them cool while she fried thick bacon. In the fat from the bacon she cooked the cut up onion.

After the onion was tender, Katia added vinegar, sugar and soup broth; it was simmered for a few minutes. Now her task was cutting all the potatoes into bite-size piece.

They were placed in a large bowl and the onion mixture was drizzled over the potatoes and mixed thoroughly. It was all placed in a large oblong dish and placed in the refrigerator to meld the flavors and cool.

When she turned around, she saw Kurt. "Do I smell cooked bacon?"

"You do. It's for our food for the church picnic. Our breakfast casserole is cooked and the biscuits are almost finished baking. You can tell your brother and sisters to take their seats in the dining room."

Katia found Franz and asked that he carry the breakfast casserole to the table. He asked about smell of fried bacon too. She told him the same thing she had told Kurt.

Everything Katia had prepared was eaten; hardly a crumb was left. Now the group began to discuss the picnic and the parade.

"Dad, do you anything about the parade we will watch?"

"Not really, Friedrich. This is all new to me too."

"Mommy." "Yes Gretl."

"Will the picnic have food I will like?"

"I'm sure it will sweetie."

And Louisa asked. "Can we go to the playground for awhile?"

"Yes, as soon as the dishes are washed and put away we can go there."

"Liesl and I will help so we can leave soon."

Georg smiled at his maturing daughter. And it really didn't take long before they were leaving for the park. They didn't find many children there; still they had fun. When they returned, it was almost eleven o'clock.

"Georg, I'll take the big bowl of potato salad to the church now. I'm sure the ladies would like all the food there by the time everyone arrives for the picnic."

"Thank you, Franz. You can wait for us to arrive. I'm sure the children will want to be among the first to arrive."

"Very well, I'll watch for you."

And Georg whispered to Maria. "I want to ask Father Mike to bless our marriage."

"I want that too."

The couple shared a rather romantic kiss and then heard the " _ahems"_ from their children. "You better get used to seeing us kiss; it's one way to a long and happy marriage."

"Dad, I want to get to the picnic before all the food is gone."

"Kurt, I'm sure that won't happen. We'll leave here in a few minutes."

"Come on everyone. Let's get to leave."

The couple smiled and shook their heads. "Georg, he'll grow out of this when he gets older."

"I certainly hope so."

By now Kurt stood in front of the door to the portico. Soon all the others were behind him. Stefan and Phillip led; Maria and Georg were last behind Marta and Gretl. Even they walked faster than usual.

Once they turned onto the street with their church, they immediately heard voices. As they came closer, Georg heard his name spoken by his navy friend, Paul Adams.

"Come sit with us Georg."

"Daddy, can we sit by Rosemary and Rita?"

"Of course you can."

He whispered to Maria. "I'm still amazed they friends so quickly."

"Same for me."

Next to speak was Maryann. "Everyone, the men will tell us when it's our turn to get our food. That way it's not bedlam."

Kurt was not pleased but he didn't speak. He was happy when very soon it was their turn.

When they saw all the food, Louisa spoke. "See Kurt, there's plenty of food."

And one of the ladies of the church also spoke. "There are even more dishes of food to bring out; we've never run out of food." Kurt smiled at the lady.

Soon the food dishes were replaced by a huge cake. Everyone received a piece cake and a square of ice cream with three different flavors, vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. This kind of ice cream had the name Neapolitan; a name which reflected the Italian origin of the ice cream. The colors resembled the Italian flag.

No one was in a hurry to leave. Maria commented. "The picnic is wonderful. The Mass is very important but so is social time; God is smiling. He loves to see a happy church."

Father Mike heard her. "A perfect description, Maria, God does want us to be happy."

Georg joined the conversation. "Father Mike, Maria and I were married on the ship. We want to have our marriage blessed."

"No problem. I can perform the short ceremony at the end of Mass next Sunday."

"Thank you."

Father Mike used his loud voice to announce. "As soon as the food table is cleared everyone can walk towards the main street. The parade will begin soon."

Paul spoke to them. "Let's go find a good place to stand so our children can see everything."

The street was void of all cars; none were on the street nor parked by the curb. The children were very anxious for the parade to begin. They didn't wait very long. They soon saw a squad of policemen on motorcycles flashing their red lights and riding in the shape of a "V."

And right behind them was a military band being led by men carrying flags. The lead flag bearer carried a large flag with red and white stripes and in a corner a patch of blue with stars.

Paul whispered. "That's the flag of America. Out of respect we military men salute it; everyone else places their right hand over their heart. The band will play our National Anthem, _the Star Spangled Banner._ "

The Austrian family heard this music whose notes formed a melody which arouses a sense of pride and patriotism for the country. They would all eventually learn its words which told the story of how the flag flew during a battle with the British in 1812 and how it now represents the land of the free and the home of the brave.

After the band finished playing the song, it marched on playing another patriotic tune.

Louisa asked. "How can play and march at the same time?"

Paul answered her. "It takes practice; lot's of practice. You may hear them early in the morning at your home."

The parade continued with big trucks pulling a platform with displays of all kinds of things which represented the pride Americans had in the men who built this great country. The town's high school band ended the parade.

The crowd began to disperse. And this Austrian group of people knew they were very lucky to be living in America.


	26. School Begins

School Begins

When the family arrived home after the parade, the children began to talk about the day school would begin.

"Maria, are you as surprised as I am how excited Marta and Gretl are about going to school?"

"I am. Perhaps it's because they already know one of their classmates."

"Yes, that does help."

"The others are excited too; they've told me they really like going to a real school."

"And I'm looking forward to hearing all about their first day when I come home."

Soon Katia announced that dinner was ready. She had prepared the tomato soup everyone liked but without the ham. There were crackers to crumble for the soup; a salad rounded out the meal. And each had a couple of cookies for desert.

During family time in their living room, they talked about the fun day they had had. Maria soon took the little girls up to bed; within a few minutes the other children had followed. The other adults said their goodnights and Franz secured the home.

The married couple was never too tired for their marital activity; but it did cause them fall asleep quickly. And they woke as the sun once again shined brightly in the master suite. Georg had duty that day; he dressed first and went downstairs.

Franz had retrieved the newspaper from the front porch; he immediately showed it to Georg when he came downstairs. He read the headline.

 _Hitler announces his Title._

 _Hitler has chosen the German word_ _Führer to be his official title. And everyone is ordered to salute him and say Heil Hitler. He claims to be the leader of all people of German descent. His goal is an empire like the Roman Empire. And he has stripped Jewish people of citizenship; he has made life miserable for them._

 _This is just the beginning people. The paper will continue to have articles on Hitler as he carries out his plans._

"Franz, I knew some of this. Hitler reminds me of the barbarians of the early centuries. I also believe he will take over all the countries of Western Europe. None have an army which can defeat Hitler.

The American government will try to stay out of this war, but for how long nobody knows. Let's hide the paper. I know eventually the older children will learn about Hitler. But for now I want to keep it from them."

"I'll be sure and find it every morning before they wake up."

"Thanks, Franz."

Georg also knew he had to share the news with Maria; he had told her what he thought would be happening in Europe the day he told her Elsa was a spy. It has all come true. He sighed heavily.

His children's voices got his attention. All of them were wishing today would pass quickly so they could go to school in the morning.

He responded to them. "It really pleases me you are so anxious to go to school."

"We want to see our friends, Rosemarie and Rita, Daddy. Did you know Brigitta's classmate is also named Rosemarie?"

"What a coincidence and daddy is very happy you made friends so soon. Now I need to get ready to leave."

Maria followed him. He had time to tell her about the newspaper article.

"Maria, I'm sure you remember our conversation that morning after Liesl had heard Elsa on the telephone."

"I do."

"It's all beginning to come true. Hitler has declared himself the Führer; it means a ruler who is ruthless and tyrannical. People must raise their hand and say _Heil Hitler_ not just to him but when they meet anyone. His goal is to form a big empire of all German speaking nations. He dislikes Jewish people; he has stripped them of their citizenship. The worst is yet to come. Franz hid today's newspaper which contained this information; I'm hoping to keep it from the children as long as possible. But our older children may learn about it at school tomorrow.

"I'll be prepared if they do."

"Tell them not to worry."

"I will."

The couple shared a romantic passionate kiss; it strengthened each of them. And before Georg got in his car, he kissed her again and said to his children.

They waived until the car was out of sight. And this morning was like yesterday; bed covers were straightened and Maria and Isabel washed and dried another load of clothes.

When Maria came from the basement she heard Friedrich ask. "Has anyone found any pencils or pens?"

"Have you looked where you found the games and puzzles?"

"No, I'll look now, Mom."

He did look and spoke loudly. "Not only are there boxes of pencils, there are also several black and white hardcover books with blank pages.

His siblings came running to see what he had found. Brigitta spoke first. "We may use them for our assignments."

"You may be correct."

"Maybe if we go to the playground my friend will be there and we can ask what we need to bring on our first day."

"Good idea, Brigitta! Let's get ready to go there." Kurt exclaimed.

Maria got caught up in her children's excitement; it pleased her. And they were ready to leave the house in only a few minutes.

Once again Franz came with them. He had a comment too. "I can't believe how enthusiastic all of you are about school."

"It's exciting, Franz." Friedrich told him.

"And I see there are other children already there."

"And I see my classmate, Rosemarie."

She had seen Brigitta and they ran to each other. "Are you excited about school beginning tomorrow?"

"I am. My brother Friedrich found a pile of black and white notebooks in a closet."

"They're our assignment notebooks. You also need lined paper for your homework. The paper can be folded and placed in your notebook so it won't get torn or wrinkled."

"Thank you for telling me. I'll tell my brothers and sisters."

"Let's go swing."

The two girls ran off and Maria smiled. She was really pleased the children had made friends so easily.

After about an hour, dark clouds covered the sun. Franz rounded up the children and they quickly walked home. The rain began almost as soon as they arrived under the portico.

The children found a book to read until lunch time. After lunch they either read or put a puzzle together. Marta and Gretl colored pages in a coloring book they found in the closet.

Now Maria was anxious for Georg to come home. She knew he was learning terrible things were happening in Europe. She felt it was duty to make him forget all that and enjoy family time.


	27. An Annoucemeent

An Announcement

Today was the first day of school. All the children were awake almost before sunrise. And they weren't quiet.

"Well Maria, I suppose this means we won't enjoy a marital moment."

"I know. We'll make up for it tonight."

"I like the way my wife thinks."

"Your wife likes it too."

Georg passionately kissed his wife before she left their bed. In a matter of moments she was dressed and quickly opened their bedroom door.

"I don't believe this. You're all dressed for school."

"Mom, we're so excited we couldn't sleep any longer."

"Kurt, do you realize how early it is. I'm sure breakfast isn't ready."

"Maybe Katia has juice for us. Can we go see?"

"Yes Kurt we can; lead the way."

The sounds of the children's voices reached Katia and Franz in the kitchen. "It's a good thing I squeezed the oranges yesterday. Kurt's probably starved."

"I'm sure he is. I'll carry the pitcher of juice to the dining room."

He had no sooner arrived there when Kurt arrived with all the others right behind him. He also saw Maria.

"I know it's early Franz but the children are really excited about beginning school."

"Let me pour them some juice and then I'll get your coffee."

"Franz, I'd really like tea this morning."

"Then I'll bring you a cup of hot water and a tea bag."

"Thank you."

Franz returned to the kitchen for Maria's request. In a matter of a few minutes Georg entered the dining room.

"It was so nice of all you children to wake us this morning."

Georg noticed all of them looked down in shame. "But that's okay. We can have a leisurely breakfast before I need to leave. Whose turn is it to say grace?"

"Mine Dad."

"Thank you Louisa."

She recited the same grace Maria had said at her first meal with the family. "For what we are about to receive, may the Lord make us truly thankful. Amen."

And Franz had brought Maria a cup and saucer, a tea bag and a small pot of hot water. Georg noticed; he had his suspicions. But he kept quiet.

In the meantime, Franz had carried a large pot to the dining room. He placed it on a trivet on the buffet table alongside a stack of bowls.

"Katia fixed you oatmeal this morning. She thinks it will keep you full until lunch time."

"I hope so. I wouldn't want my classmates to hear my stomach grumble."

"It should Kurt." Franz said reassuredly.

Everyone had their fill of oatmeal. No one had noticed that Maria only ate a very small serving.

"Dad, may we be excused to get ready to leave?"

Georg nodded to Friedrich but Maria spoke.

"Maryann told me the elementary school begins at eight-thirty and the high school at eight o'clock. And both schools serve lunch."

"Interesting, Maria, I never liked the idea children had to go home for lunch and then walk back for the afternoon classes. That was one reason I had them taught at home. And you my darling wife was the best of them all. You deserve a kiss."

"I'll never turn down a kiss."

They did kiss and Georg returned to their room to get ready to leave. He watched the high school students leave and heard the others beg to leave too.

"Dad, I'll be sure Marta and Gretl find their classrooms. And Brigitta and I will wait for them to walk home."

"That's kind of you Kurt."

The parents did walk to the main road with them and watched them walk down the street toward the schools.

"Sweetheart, did Kurt surprise you?"

"He most certainly did. And something you did this morning has me wondering."

"I won't keep you wondering. I may be pregnant."

"But you're not sure."

"I certainly know it is possible. My cycle is late; I also know stress can cause it too. We've had our share of that too."

"Believe it or not, one of the first signs is the simple thing that coffee doesn't agree with your stomach. I noticed you had tea with your breakfast."

"And my stomach feels so much better. Georg, as happy as I am to be with child, I want to keep it a secret for now."

"You can try dear."

Georg knew Isabel and Katia would notice the _pregnancy glow_ soon. He had to keep a smile from his face.

"It's my time to leave. I don't want to think what I may learn today about Hitler. The headline in the paper today spoke of praying as the only way to keep our sanity."

"I'll look in my prayer book for a suitable prayer we can pray as a family."

"Please do. Our older children may be told about the editorial."

"Now my sweet wife, I must leave. May my kiss remain on your lips and in your heart."

After a rather passionate kiss, Georg broke away and entered his car and drove away. Maria watched it as long as she could before deciding to read the article herself.

The article summarized words the President of the United States had spoken to men who were a part of a group which was called _The President's Cabinet._ Maria read.

Since my election, the entire world has watched as this man Hitler has gained control of Germany. He convinced the people that the Treaty of Versailles put too harsh a penalty on Germany and so he renounced it. Then he had the seat of German government destroyed by fire.

And now the Jewish people are being taken away to what are called camps. These camps are nothing more than terrible prisons.

Men, my daily prayer is for wisdom; specifically to know when to act rather than stand on the side line. America still has a kinship with Great Britain; she is a monarchy, a monarchy with a heart. We must be prepared to come to her defense if it is needed.

The reporter present added this: The men all stood; an affirmation of agreement.

And Maria did find a suitable prayer for the family to pray together at breakfast. It was words in the Bible's book of Ephesians which calmed her and she was sure it would to the same for everyone. This is what she read.

 _Draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power. Put on the armor of God. So you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the Devil._

And after she read these words she added Amen.


	28. School is Great

School is Great

As the end of the school day approached, Franz and Maria walked to the main street to watch for the children. They didn't have long to wait; they actually heard the bell ring at the elementary school.

Soon they saw Kurt and Brigitta along with Marta and Gretl; they were walking with a lot of other children. As soon as the little girls saw their mommy, they took off running to her. And Maria walked towards them. She engulfed them in her arms as she saw their happy smiles.

"Your smiles tell me you like school."

"We do. And I was chosen to help raise the American Flag on the flag pole."

"That's really special, Marta."

"Gretl, what did you do today?"

"In music class, I sang about my favorite things. And everyone added their favorite thing. My teacher really liked the song."

"I'm so proud of both you."

Maria looked up at Kurt and Brigitta. "Did you enjoy school too?"

"Yes mom. Before our history class we talk about current events. Our teacher, Mister Donaldson, told us about the aspirations of a man named Adolph Hitler. He wants all of Europe, including Austria, under his control. Is he the reason we left?"

"Yes it was, Brigitta. We rushed to leave and board the train to Italy because your dad's military mind told him we needed to. After dinner I'll share with everyone a verse of scripture to calm our fears. Do you have any homework?"

"No, we won't have homework until next week. Do you think Katia has a snack for us? Lunch was a long time ago."

"I think she still has some apples, Kurt." Franz answered.

"I'll run home and find out."

Kurt took off; Maria and Franz laughed. The other children snickered. And Maria heard. "I'll stay here and wait for the high school students. You can go back to the house with the others."

"Thanks Franz."

Maria held Marta and Gretl's hands and followed Brigitta who was already walking towards the house. Isabel was waiting under the portico.

"Your famished son told me he could have an apple. He devoured it in three or four bites and just asked if he could have another one."

Maria laughed."You can tell him yes; I doubt two apples will keep him from eating his dinner."

Now it was Isabel's turn to laugh; she also knew about his two o'clock in the morning cry when he was a baby.

Only Brigitta ate an apple; Marta and Gretl told Maria they weren't hungry. They found another puzzle to put together; Brigitta found her place in the book she was reading and curled up in a big chair to read.

In about forty minutes the silence of the room was broken by the voices of the high school students. Maria immediately asked.

"Did all of you enjoy your school?"

"Oh yes, Mom." Friedrich answered. "It has all the classes I need to become a research scientist."

"I know that pleases you."

"And I'm in a great writing class. I already have an idea for a story."

"Terrific, Louisa."

Liesl was last. "In our history class we discussed world news. Our teacher, Mister Florentine, told us about the German man, Adolph Hitler and how he is treating Jewish people.

"It saddens me as well.

"As I told Brigitta, I found a Bible verse which we can say daily; it's like a prayer. I think it will help all of us believe the righteous will prevail. Do you have homework?"

"Yes, it's to read the newspaper so we can contribute to our class discussion of current events. Is today's paper in the living room?"

"No. Franz put it away. You can tell him your homework is to read the paper; he'll give it to you."

And Maria thought. _I need to tell Georg so he won't be alarmed._

Franz really wasn't too surprised Liesl needed to read the newspaper for school. He told her. "I'll keep it in the foyer for you."

"And I'll tell Friedrich and Louisa; they need to read it too."

She met them upstairs changing their clothes and told them where Franz would keep the newspaper. They went back down and found the paper and each had a chance to read it before their dad came home.

Georg had seven children waiting in front of the house eager to speak to him. "Wow? What a nice welcome home!"

"All of us have things to tell you?" Brigitta told him.

"You may need to wait until after dinner; I'm sure Katia has it ready. I'm later than usual; my last meeting was very long."

"We can wait." Friedrich reassured him.

"And I'll hurry to change."

Maria followed him. "You need to know our older children need to read the newspaper everyday to be able to contribute to their class discussion of current events. They discussed today's news. And I found a Bible verse to use as a daily prayer."

"I knew you find something appropriate. Now may I have a kiss; it's been too long since this morning's kiss."

"My husband, the romantic, deserves at least one kiss now with more to come later as I promised."

"I like the way you think."

The couple engaged in passionate kissing before Georg realized they had to stop. They were all smiles as they took their seats in the dining room. Liesl noticed but she didn't say anything. She was thinking about a time in her life when she would be that happy with the man she loved.

The blessing was said; the food passed. And the family completed the meal with a piece of apple pie. And Kurt announced.

"This pie was really good. Please make it again."

"I can. The clerk at the food store told me this was apple season."

Katia saw smiles on everyone. And as soon as the dishes were washed and put away everyone gathered in their living room to share the events of the day.

The most difficult question for Georg to answer was from today's newspaper about the treatment of Jewish people by Germany's new leader, Adolph Hitler. He gave the only answer he knew.

"In the Bible Book of Genesis it is written that Evil entered the Garden and the world has had Evil in its midst ever since. Evil is in the mind of Adolph Hitler. Simple put, he doesn't like Jewish people. The good and the righteous people of the world will do their best to protect them."

"And I found a verse in scripture us to remind us God's protection. It comes from The Book of Ephesians.

 _Draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power. Put on the armor of God. So you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the Devil._

"It means the Lord will give us strength to do anything; and our armor is the protection God gives us when we pray. I'm sure the President prays for wisdom to make good decisions to be able to withstand the tactics of the evil in Hitler's mind."

"Yes Maria, I'm sure he does. Now let us sing some songs to clear our minds of all this evil talk."

They sang the _Hills are Alive_ song; the song which reconciled Georg with his children. And the song _Edelweiss_ which ends with asking blessings for the country they left.

And quietly everyone left their living room for their bedrooms. Maria read a short story to the girls and the other children turned their light off and found sleep came quickly.


	29. News

News

Every day the children and Georg had news to share. The children's news was always about school. Their parents were thrilled they liked school and their English had improved so quickly.

This particular evening Georg had something special to tell everyone. He began by asking a question of his older children. "What do you know about the President's Cabinet?"

Friedrich ventured an explanation. "It's a group people selected by the President to help him make decisions."

"That's correct, son. There are ten of them. They have the title Secretary. I've been asked to be an advisor to the Secretary of War."

"War Dad! Is the United States going to war?"

"No Liesl. The Department of War was created by President Washington. He was also the general who led the Revolutionary Army to victory over the British. He understood the need to be prepared if war was ever necessary again."

"What will you do Georg?"

"Maria, everyone, I've been asked to prepare a profile on Hitler; in order to defeat an enemy one needs to know how he thinks and his weaknesses. I was able to find some information on him at the Library of Congress."

"Is this library only for congress, Dad?"

"I really don't know Brigitta. But I will ask. I do know some interesting facts. The original idea of having a library for the federal government was in 1800. The same year the seat of government was moved from Philadelphia to Washington DC.

"The library's first home was in the Capital building. Books had to be ordered from London; seven hundred and forty books and three maps were brought. Sadly during a second war with the British army the capital was burned. Almost everything was lost.

"Thomas Jefferson, the third president of America sold his collection of 6,487 books and they too were stored in the repaired capital building. The collection out grew the space and a separate building was built. They named it for Thomas Jefferson.

"It now contains every form of printed material used to day. It's also a very beautiful building; it has marble columns, stained glass skylights, painted ceilings and frescos which are paintings made on wet plaster; they're stunning. We can visit it someday.

"Children, I believe it's your bedtime. Maria please lead us in prayer."

"Father in heaven, we have once again come to the end of our day. The darkness of night will soon cover our part of the world. We pray for the land we left that its leaders may look to You for strength in a time of when evil has threatened all God loving people. Free our minds from all the distractions of the world and grant us a good night's rest to begin a new day in the morning. In Jesus name we pray. Amen."

And the family responded as a group. "Amen and amen."

As the children left the room they heard. "Your mom and I will be up shortly to kiss you goodnight."

"Maria, you never fail us. That was a most appropriate prayer."

"I may have spoken it but God supplied the words. It just seemed to flow out of my mouth, Isabel."

"Maybe, by the way are you feeling okay?"

"I have no complaints. Thanks for your concern."

"I guess it's time for my nightly ride in the elevator. It's a godsend after being on my feet all day. See you in the morning."

"Goodnight Isabel."

 _What made her ask me if I was feeling well? Maybe she was just being kind._ Maria cleared her mind and hurried upstairs.

She found the children in various stages of getting ready for bed. She met Georg and together they went into Marta and Gretl's room. Louisa was there helping with their hair.

"I'll finish for you. You need to get ready for bed too."

With the girls tucked into their beds and with them only staying awake for a page of their story, the couple checked on the others. They wanted to fall asleep quickly so morning would come faster. They told their parents they really enjoyed going to a real school.

The happy couple went on to the master suite. "Finally, it's our time. I'm been waiting all day for this."

"I have also but I need to ask you a question first. Isabel asked me if I was feeling okay. Do I appear ill?"

Georg was having a difficult time not laughing. "No sweetheart; she knows your secret."

"She does? How?"

"Other women see something they call a _glow._ Pregnancy brings out your happiness; your eyes are brighter and you seem to smile more."

"I never knew. I suppose I should tell everyone soon. How do you think the children will react?"

"They'll be overjoyed and have lots of questions. Women of Agathe's generation hid their pregnancy by wearing crinolines under their dresses."

"Then they will learn with me; I've never been around any pregnant women."

"After you tell everyone, Isabel will be able to answer your questions."

"Let me use the bathroom and then it will our time."

Shortly, Maria slid under the covers and Georg drew her to him and his kisses went everywhere. Their bodies rested before each put on nightwear and then they fell asleep quickly; after all they had been awake since sunrise.

In the morning, it was later than yesterday by thirty minutes, when Kurt woke everyone with his usual reminder. "I'm hungry. I hope Katia has juice ready."

"I suppose I should dress and go down with them."

"Yes or Kurt may raid the refrigerator."

Maria laughed at Georg's remark. She also knew he may just do it.

Katia spoke to her as she arrived in the kitchen. "Kurt was starving; I let him eat his fruit."

"Georg and I heard him tell his siblings he was hungry. I think he may be having a growth spurt."

"You may be right." Katia answered.

"Is the water in tea kettle hot?"

"Yes it is."

"Good, I think I'll make me a cup of tea."

Katia turned away so Maria didn't see her full smile. She too knew Maria was pregnant. She wondered when Maria was going to tell everyone.


	30. A New Holiday

A New Holiday

The next morning, after Georg and the children had left the house, Maria and Isabel were once again in the basement doing laundry. Isabel's face held a smile as she spoke.

"I noticed you are drinking tea instead of coffee."

"Georg told me you knew I was pregnant."

"Katia probably knows too. But she and I will keep your pregnancy a secret."

"Can you tell me what else may happen to me?"

"I can. You may notice your breasts feel fuller and a little tender. You may find certain smells may upset your stomach. For some women this can also happens when you get up in the morning. Many women keep crackers or a piece of bread on their bedside table and eat it before getting out of bed; it seems to calm the nausea.

"As the baby continues to grow you may find you need to use the bathroom more frequently. Soon you can feel your baby sac when you lie down. Then the sac protrudes even more when you are standing as the baby puts on weight.

"The older girls will be very interested in your pregnancy. Women of Agathe's day always wore dresses with lots of crinolines; they never knew when she was pregnant."

"I won't mind sharing my pregnancy with them."

When the children came home, Marta and Gretl rushed to her. "Mommy we get to be Indians in a play."

"Who or what are Indians?"

"We don't know."

"I can tell you, mom."

"Please do Brigitta."

"They are people who were living here when Christopher Columbus discovered the land which is now called America. My history book has pictures of them. And it also tells about one of the other early places where people from Europeans also came here to escape religious persecution.

"The Indians there taught them how to grow food. They even ate together. Now there is an American holiday which celebrates this; it's called Thanksgiving. Marta and Gretl are going to be in a play which tells the story."

"When is this holiday?"

"Not until November."

"Good! That gives me plenty of time to learn what I need to do."

"Mom, the best part is the meal eaten that day."

"And why do you like it so much Kurt?"

"Because my friends told me there's always a lot of food."

"Different from what Katia fixes every day?"

Brigitta answered her. "Yes mom it is different. They cook a large bird named Turkey; the cavity where its innards were is stuffed with bread and flavorings and baked. They also prepare two kinds of potatoes; white potatoes are mashed and Sweet Potatoes are fixed with Marshmallows on them. Green beans are prepared a special way too. A berry, Cranberry, is cooked and made into a sauce. Lots of biscuits are baked. And a pie named Pumpkin Pie is served with a sweet topping made by whipping cream."

"Brigitta, you need to tell this to Katia and Isabel."

"I will Mom."

When the older children came home they confirmed what Brigitta had told Maria. When Georg arrived home, Maria greeted him with a kiss. But before she could speak a word they both heard Gretl.

"Daddy, Marta and me are going to be Indians in our school play."

"What is this play about?"

"It tells the story of Indians teaching people how to grow food."

"I see. Let me go get changed and you can tell me more about your play."

Maria went with Georg to their bedroom. "I am so surprised how all our children have adjusted to school so fast."

"I expected it for the older ones but not for Marta and Gretl."

"I feel the same. And Kurt told me about the special meal everyone fixes to celebrate the Indians teaching settlers how to grow food."

"He would be the one to tell you."

They both laughed before Maria went on to tell about all the food eaten that day.

"That's a lot of food. Do Katia and Isabel know?

"Yes, I asked Brigitta to tell them."

"How are you feeling?"

"I have no complaints. I'm grateful I haven't had the morning sickness Isabel told me about. She also told me of my need to use the bathroom more often as the baby grows.

"Should we tell the children soon?"

"Maybe in another week or two; I doubt that even Liesl knows about a woman's _glow._ And I can't believe how excited Gretl and Marta are about being in a play."

"They're growing up on us, sweetheart."

"Yes, an experience of how we had to escape can do that."

When they went downstairs, the girls were waiting for them. "Girls, do you wear costumes in your play?"

"We do. The only thing we need to make is our head piece with paper feathers."

"Do you know when you give this play?"

"I'll tell you Dad."

"I'm listening Brigitta."

"It's performed the Wednesday before Thanksgiving in the afternoon. The chorus also performs."

"Are you in the chorus?"

"Yes and so is Kurt. Will you be able to come?"

"I'll have to ask but I'm pretty sure the answer will be yes."

"I must ask. Does the high school give any plays or choral performances?"

"Yes Dad, but in the spring."

"Great, something to look forward to. Your mom and I are thankful you have all adjusted so well to life in America."


	31. Georg's Report

Georg's Report

Everyone in the family attended Marta and Gretl's school play. And once again their parents were amazed. Neither had shown one bit of stage freight as they acted out the story of the very first Thanksgiving.

Katia and Isabel soon learned the meal prepared for Thanksgiving would be repeated for the Christmas day meal. And Georg's research about Hitler was completed; now he shared with President Roosevelt and his Cabinet what he had learned. He told them.

"The mind of Adolph Hitler was formed at an early age. His parents were as different as day and night. His mother, Klara, was loving and kind; a devout Roman Catholic. His father Alois was the exact opposite; he shouldn't even be called a father. His wife and children were totally subservient to his will, his moods, and his whims; obedience was demanded at all cost.

"Alois died in 1903. But Adolph's mind had already been formed. After serving in the German Army during the Great War, he became outraged at the punishment Germany received in the treaty which ended the war. He began to give speeches; he discovered his talent. It wasn't in the arts, as he had once thought, it was that of a great orator. He spoke about not only the treaty but also about rival politicians and the Jewish people.

"And because his mother had died after surgery for breast cancer by a Jewish doctor he developed an immense hatred for Jewish people. He now lived in Vienna Austria. The mayor at this time felt threatened by all the Jewish people living there. Hitler agreed with the mayor.

"His popularity rose during this time. And in a matter of months he was elected Chancellor. Hitler now has set his mind on restoring the old Austro-German Empire. His first acquisition will be Austria. Sadly there are many Austrians who have been swayed to Hitler.

"Gentlemen, I fear a war greater than the last will come to all of Europe. In quick succession most of the countries will fall to Hitler. Great Britain will be your only ally for now. I can't predict what the Soviet Union will do.

Georg now listened to the men's' responses. First was from the president. "I believe your assessment is correct. Our citizens are still recovering from the war; sending men is not an option, any ideas gentlemen?"

The gentlemen in charge of the Department of War spoke next. "Perhaps we could help by making things Great Britain could use to wage war against this mad man."

Another cabinet member commented. "It would help put our people back to work and may finally get us out of the Depression."

These two suggestions were taken seriously. The President put the Secretary of Commerce in charge of developing a plan. He was given enough money to hire people to help him and put the plan into action. And Georg received complements from all of them.

He had no idea his name would appear in the next days' newspaper as the person whose idea inspired this plan. And it would be discussed at the high school.

The next morning began differently for the occupants of the master suite; it wasn't the sun shining in their bedroom window which woke Maria. It was her need to hurry to the bathroom. She flew out of their bed before Georg had a chance to say good morning or kiss her.

When she came from the bathroom she heard. "Is our baby growing?"

"It must be. I can't wait for him to grow enough so he won't crowd my bladder anymore."

"So you're calling the baby a _he_ now."

"He sounds better. The word _it_ doesn't sound human."

"Don't be surprised if Brigitta notices."

"I won't be; it's normal for her. It will probably get the boys hopes up that the baby may be a boy."

"True. Now I need to take my turn in the bathroom."

"And I'll dress and see if any of the children are stirring."

Maria slowly opened the bedroom door. Immediately she heard. "Mom's awake we can go see if breakfast is ready."

"Kurt, you're as predictable as the sun rising. You may go down and see if Katia has the juice ready."

The children had a surprise waiting for them. Instead of glasses filled with juice, they found a small bowl filled with pears, grapes, cherries, peaches with a small amount of liquid.

Katia was standing near-by to observe the children's reaction. The predictable child asked. "What's in our bowls?"

"It is fruit from cans labeled _Fruit Cocktail_ I bought them at the A &P store. Taste it; I'm sure you will like it."

"Okay I will." The others watched Kurt. He picked up his spoon and scooped up a piece of fruit. He ate it and smiled.

"It is good; and sweet too." And he promptly devoured the rest of the fruit. The others began to eat it and had similar complementary words to say.

Georg heard them and asked. "What are you eating?"

"It's fruit from a can Dad."

"I'll eat mine as soon as grace is said. Whose turn is it today?"

"Mine Dad," Spoken by Brigitta as she folded her hands. "Let us pray.

"Bless our friends.  
Bless our food.  
Come O Lord and  
Sit with us.  
Come and let your  
Love surround us.  
Bless us all forever.  
Amen."

And an Amen was heard from the entire family.

"Very nice Brigitta. Where did you learn it?"

"From one of my classmates."

And Georg held a thought. _I'm so glad we are in America where we will always be able to pray._

Now everyone ate their _Fruit Cocktail_ and complemented Katia. In a few minutes Franz came from the kitchen with the pot of oatmeal. The children had found that it did keep them full until lunch time, even Kurt.

The children hurried to get ready to leave; as Liesl left she smiled at Maria.

And Maria wondered why. Then thought, _she knows. I suppose it's time to tell everyone._


	32. The Newspaper Article

The Newspaper Article

The next morning Franz was awake earlier than usual; the newspaper hadn't been delivered yet. He did turn on the radio in the foyer and heard. _The President and his cabinet listened to a report on Adolph Hitler compiled by a recent immigrant from Austria. Stay tuned for updates during the day._

And Franz thought. _Georg gave that report. I hope the newspaper carries his report._ He checked again to see if it had been placed on the front porch. It hadn't; so he went on to the dining room.

Once again Kurt was the first to arrive and Franz was placing glasses of freshly squeezed Orange Juice at each place setting.

"I hoped Katia had more _Fruit Cocktail._ "

"Kurt, she may buy some more next time she goes shopping for food."

"I hope so, it was really good."

"I'll tell her you liked it."

The others were taking their seats; Marta and Louisa told Franz the same as Georg and Maria arrived there. And Liesl again smiled at Maria.

Breakfast had been eaten and before anyone left the table, Maria stood. And Liesl's smile became fuller.

"I have personal news this morning. It seems God doesn't think seven children are enough in this family."

And Liesl told herself, _I knew I was right._ But it wasn't she who spoke; her oldest brother did.

"Mom, are you telling us you are going to have a baby?"

"I am Friedrich."

"Yippy! I won't be the youngest anymore. And I want a girl baby."

And Kurt immediately responded. "We have enough girls in the family. I'm hoping for a boy."

"Only God knows what the baby will be." And Georg smiled.

"Do you know when this baby will be born?"

"In about seven months Liesl."

"That's a long time."

"Yes Gretl it is. I'm sure the months will go by quickly. It's almost time for you to leave; you need to get ready."

The children left the table first. Maria went with Georg to their room. "You were quite cleaver in not identifying the baby as a _Him._ "

"The children's comments helped me and I do believe Liesl already knew."

"I do too. I noticed her fuller smile after you told them. She may approach you in private and ask questions. As you told me she's not a child anymore; she may want to learn how it feels to have a new life inside of you."

"I'm willing to share what I can; this is all new to me too. Isabel told me a few things; becoming fuller on my chest, the waist of my dresses becoming tight and the need to use the bathroom so often will diminish as my bladder isn't crowded anymore by the baby."

The couple and all the children came back downstairs at the same time. The order of leaving was the same. First Maria received another kiss before Georg got in his car and drove away. The older children were next; followed in about fifteen minutes by all the others.

And Franz spoke to Maria. "I heard on the radio that the President and his Cabinet listened to a report on Hitler. It didn't say Georg wrote it but I'm sure he did. The newspaper is late this morning; maybe it will have news about this report. I'll watch for the paper to be delivered. I'm sure you will want to read it before the children come home."

"Yes, I do."

Maria went on to the basement to wash another load of clothes and thought. _Georg is doing his part in helping America's government learn about this man._ She was now anxious to read his report.

The newspaper had been delivered during this time. Franz read it and the ways America could help. He then brought to Maria who was now dusting the living room.

She sat by a lamp and began to read it. Once finished she thought; _this is all part of God's destiny for Georg._

The remainder of the day had passed; the children were due home. The older children were especially excited.

Friedrich blurted out as soon as he was close to the house. "Mom, dad's article he presented to the cabinet was in today's newspaper. The teacher read it to us."

"Yes I know. Franz and I both read it."

And Brigitta added. "Kurt and I heard about it in our history class. Our teacher commented on his suggestions on ways to help Great Britain. He described them as brilliant. He also told us his newspaper article will be stored in the Library of Congress."

"Oh my! That really is an honor! Maybe it will be there when your dad takes us there for a visit."

"That would be surreal Mom!"

Maria could only smile as she thought _only she would use such an adjective._ She couldn't wait to tell Georg. All the children ran off to do their homework.

They were still in their rooms; including Marta and Gretl who were playing with their dolls when Georg arrived home.

Maria received a proper kiss before they climbed the stairs together. She informed Georg that their high school students plus Brigitta and Kurt knew about the article he wrote about Hitler.

"Yes I did know it was in the paper; a copy was on my desk when I arrived."

"Brigitta and Kurt's teacher told them your article will be stored in the Library of Congress. Our precocious daughter said _it will be surreal if it's there when we visit._

"Her mind has always confounded me."

"I know. She amazes me too."

Discussion that evening after dinner revolved around Georg's report. And he was able to tell them that his ideas were already being put in place. Factories were building ships, airplanes, guns, ammunition and even clothing for the men as fast as was possible. And it was beginning to lift the country out of the depression.


	33. Another Trip to DC

Another Trip to DC

This particular Saturday morning was not one for the children to sleep late; they were as the saying goes _up with the chickens!_

The occupants of the master suite were smiling. "Our children must be anxious for our visit to DC."

"I guess so." Maria said as she hastened to the bathroom. Then when she came from there she told Georg.

"I'll be happy when he grows more and won't crowd my bladder anymore!"

"It won't be too much longer."

"Good, I'll go downstairs so Kurt won't badger Katia about when breakfast will be ready. I'm sure she didn't expect them to wake this early."

"And I'll be down shortly."

Maria was surprised when Kurt calmly to her. "Katia said breakfast won't be ready for thirty minutes. But she is serving Fruit Cocktail this morning."

"I know that pleases you. Girls, who helped you dress?"

"Louisa and I did, Mom."

"I suppose this means all of you are anxious to visit the Library of Congress."

"I think all of us are anxious to see dad's article there."

"Yes, seeing it will make us all proud of him."

"Your dad also told me this building is magnificent."

"That gives us another reason to be anxious to go see it."

"Yes, I'm curious too Louisa."

Georg had arrived. "We will need to wait awhile before we leave. The library doesn't open until nine o'clock."

"Are we taking the bus again?"

"Kurt, it's the only way all of us can travel together! The eight-thirty bus will have us to DC in plenty of time for the short walk to the building."

Breakfast was now ready to be served and there was little conversation; everyone was eating. As soon as the dishes were washed and put away, the group was waiting for Isabel and Katia to come from their bedrooms where they had changed their clothes. And once they joined the others Franz led them to the bus stop.

Since it was a Saturday, the bus was empty. The driver asked. "Where's everyone going so early this morning?"

"To the Library of Congress sir. My dad's article is on display there."

"I read it. It's very appropriate for the librarian to want to preserve it for others to read. There's little traffic, we should be there well before the library opens. It's only a short walk from the bus stop."

Their ride was quicker than normal; not only was there little traffic, there was no one waiting at any of the bus stops so the driver didn't even need to stop once.

In a few minutes the bus did stop. "The library is just a short walk away. This street will take you there. You can't miss it."

The driver had been correct; its size startled everyone. "Yes, I know it's huge. But I can take you to where my article is stored."

Upon entering the entire group froze. They were viewing the most ornate and beautiful gigantic room they had ever seen. It had elaborate archways, columns and staircases. The ceiling with its curved sides held skylights in a blue mosaic.

"Dad, why is the library so elaborate?"

"Liesl, I was told it was designed from the library in Boston Massachusetts. It was the first public library in the new nation. The design of this room, named the Great Hall, came from the building in Boston."

"It's breathtaking." Liesl said as all of them had a good look at this mammoth room.

"Now everyone follow me. My article is stored where newspaper articles about current events are stored."

"Georg, what other things are stored here?"

"All kinds of things, Maria; every book printed, music, magazines including those called Comic Books. There's even the draft copy of the Declaration of Independence as well as a famous Bible, the Gutenberg Bible. I doubt anyone has seen all that is here. I'm taking you to a reading room where the latest editions of our newspaper are stored."

Georg led them from the Great Hall to this reading room. They were startled to see his article in clear view; it was clipped to an easel.

"Georg, did you know how your article was going to be displayed?"

"No, it was a surprise to me too. The complete newspaper is stored here too. The library receives several copies; one is placed in the reading for everyone to read and another is stored untouched to be saved as history.

"We won't see everything. There's just too much here. I do want to show you the children's library."

"Is it for me and Gretl, Daddy?"

"Well it does have small tables and chairs but it has books for all ages like Brigitta and Kurt might read. There's a reading room for them too."

"Dad, I've never seen so many bookshelves."

"Friedrich, I was told the Library of Congress has more than 164 million items on about 838 miles of bookshelves."

"Oh my! That is a lot! Now I know why we won't see everything today."

Georg smiled at his son. And then he led them to the children's rooms.

"Daddy, these tables are like what we have in school."

"I know girls. It even has lower shelves and some books are on tables. And next to this room is the reading room for Kurt and Brigitta; it even has comfortable chairs. And books of all kinds are on the nearby shelves."

Georg looked at his watch. "We should have lunch before we go home. I want to show you where we can get a meal really quick."

"Good, I'm hungry."

"I knew you would be Kurt. Stay together as we go back to the entrance."

Georg made sure everyone had arrived at the front of the building. "Once we get outside we're going to go down the street to the first crosswalk."

They arrived and waited for the car traffic to end and crossed this two lane street. "The place to eat is halfway down this street."

They had arrived and Kurt asked. "What does that sign say?"

"It says, Horn & Hardart Automat."

Kurt looked in the window. "All I see are tables and chairs and tall cabinets against the wall."

"Believe me, this is where we are having lunch. Let's go inside and I'll show you."

Everyone was as baffled as Kurt, still they followed Georg inside. "Listen up everyone. Inside each compartment is a food item. I have a bag full of nickels. One nickel will unlock the compartment; simply open the door and remove the item. For three or four nickels you can have a complete meal."

Kurt took the nickels from his dad and did as he told them. The first compartment held a sandwich; the next soup and crackers, he even got a piece of pie and he picked up a glass to get his beverage. He had his choice of a fizzy drink or milk.

Now all the others began to use the nickels for their meal. They sat at tables with four chairs. And they heard Kurt. "This is really good food."

"I was sure you would like it. Now we can have a leisurely walk to the bus stop."

They didn't wait long. The bus had them home in twenty minutes. And the comments about the library were numerous.


	34. Seasons Change

Seasons Change

Winter was nothing like winters in Austria. This part of the United States rarely received more than a few inches of snow. After a storm had left four inches of fluffy snow, the children had an opportunity to have snowball fights and the girls built snowmen.

After it melted the temperature moderated and buds began to appear on trees; green leaves were soon seen and over the next couple of weeks the famous cherry trees began to bloom. Once again the entire family rode the bus to DC to see the flowering trees.

And during this time, the baby in Maria's womb was also growing; so much the waistline of Maria's dresses was becoming tight. She asked Isabel. "Do they make clothes for pregnant women?"

"I don't know. I suppose you and I should go to the ladies store and ask."

The next day when the shops opened Isabel and Maria left the house; as usual Franz accompanied them.

The ladies entered the shop and were immediately spoken to by a sales clerk. "May I help you?"

"Yes," Isabel answered. "Do you sell clothes for pregnant women?"

"Yes, recently the clothes manufactures decided to make clothes specifically for them. They made a skirt and blouse from the same material. The skirt is worn above your baby sac protrusion and the blouse is extra long so it covers your protrusion. Would you like to see how it works for you?"

"Yes, please."

"Come with me to a dressing room and you can try one on."

The saleslady explained. "The waistband of the skirt has several buttonholes; button the one that is most comfortable for you. The top goes on like a coat and it will cover almost all of your hips; the fullness hides you protrusion."

Maria looked at herself in a mirror. It looked big on her but then she thought _I know I will get bigger._

She bought two in this style; one was a deep rose color, the other was a light blue with subtle white small dots.

Before going home with her purchases, she and Isabel stopped at a lingerie store to buy both panties and new bras to fit her changing figure.

And neither told the children they had bought the outfits. Maria didn't tell Georg either. But he did comment once he saw her dressed in the rose colored one the next morning.

"Tell me about your outfit; the color is perfect for you."

"The saleslady told me this is made specifically for the expectant woman. The skirt has several buttonholes, making it adjustable as the baby gets bigger. The top has extra fullness."

Maria pulled the material away from her body to show him. "I'm sure expectant mothers were quite pleased to find clothes which fit them and looked lovely. Which of the children do think will be the first to comment?"

"Maybe not the usual one Georg; we'll learn together."

They had heard the chatter of the children before they went downstairs. The couple waited until they were sure they were in the dining room before joining them there. They quietly entered the room.

Liesl, Louisa and Friedrich were having a conversation about a school assignment as were Brigitta and Kurt. Marta and Gretl were the quiet ones. Marta saw Maria first."

"Mommy, what are you wearing?"

The others heard her and looked at Maria. "It's a dress mothers wear when they are going to have a baby."

"The color is beautiful Mom but it looks too big for you."

"Yes I know it is, Louisa. It needs to be big so I can wear it until the baby is born in June. That time will go by fast. You need to eat so you can get to school on time."

They did eat and soon were getting ready to leave. The couple watched them leave and Maria once again told Georg.

"I still find it amazing how well all of them, but especially Marta and Gretl, have adjusted to life in America."

"I do too. It's also time for me to leave. The President is having a cabinet meeting first thing this morning."

And again Maria thought _Georg is fulfilling his destiny._


	35. President's Cabinet Meeting

President's Cabinet Meeting

Georg had been right; the President called the cabinet meeting to order only minutes after everyone arrived. They all noticed the man sitting by the President.

"Gentlemen, I'd like to introduce Ed Murray. He's a correspondent who has spent a lot of time in Germany since the end of the Great War."

"Good morning gentlemen. What I have to tell you will hopefully give all of you a better idea of what is to come. First let me tell Captain von Trapp a piece of news.

Georg raised his hand. "That's me sir."

"I know about your escape. The local priest saw to it that all the clothes left behind were given to the orphanage; the cows and hens were taken to the Abbey. Your villa is now occupied by Austrians loyal to Hitler; specifically a man named Zeller and a Baroness Schraeder. It's now where most correspondents like me hang out. As you well know, it's only a short walk across the border with Germany. Everyday a member of Hitler's inner circle comes to the villa to report on Hitler's plans. They willingly speak to us.

"I have also read Hitler's book _Mein Kampf._ A book he wrote while in prison; serving a five year sentence for treason. It helps me believe all that is happening to the people of Germany is true.

"Captain, I know you read German; I have a copy to leave with you. I'm sure you will share all that you learn with the other members of the Cabinet."

"Thank you and I will share all I learn with everyone. I must tell you I'm not surprised Zeller and the Baroness are living in my villa. You see my eldest daughter heard Elsa on the telephone at three in the morning; she heard a conversation between Elsa and Zeller. It served as my warning to get out of Austria as soon as I could.

"I brought everyone who lived at the villa with me; I wanted no one left behind to use as bait for me."

"That was your military mind at work. I'll be returning to Germany and will continue to report on Hitler's future plans."

Mister Murray left the room and President Roosevelt spoke. "Men, his news is foreboding. Georg please plan on giving us a synopsis of Hitler's book as soon as you finish reading it."

"I will sir."

With the Cabinet meeting over Georg left for his office where he began to read _Mein Kampf._ He found the book difficult to read because of Hitler's writing style. But one thing stood out; Hitler hated Jewish people. Georg read about the extent of this hatred.

 _According to Hitler, there is a clear racial hierarchy in which some races are superior to others. At the top of this hierarchy is the Aryan, a person of Germanic origin with blonde hair, blue eyes, and fair skin. The Aryan is both physically and intellectually superior to all other races, and is the source of all important art, culture, and technology. Inferior races in the hierarchy include the east European Slavic peoples, including Czechs, Russians, Poles, and Jews._

Georg drew one conclusion about this book. Its major themes of racism, anti-Semitism, militarism and German nationalism were the core philosophies of Hitler. It didn't occur to him that these philosophies would lead to a fascist state and to the genocide of millions of Jewish people.

Georg would share this at the next cabinet meeting but with no one else. He mainly wanted to shield Maria; he knew worry wasn't good for her. But he wasn't prepared for Friedrich's comment a few days later.

"Dad, Liesl and I learned a new word today during our discussion of current events. It was fascism. It's defined as a type of government led by a dictator who thinks he's god. Our teacher told us that man Adolph Hitler is a fascist. Did you know this?"

"Yes, I learned about him recently. Our President knows too. And so do all the members of the cabinet. The knowledge weighs heavily on all our minds. Maria, lead us in reciting the Bible verse."

"Certainly, our minds need to be calmed. Please say it with me. Together everyone recited the verse.

 _Draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power. Put on the armor of God. So you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the Devil. Amen._

Quietly everyone left for their bedroom. Maria asked Georg. "Do you know more that what you told us?"

"I do. I didn't want to upset you. I will tell you this. The world will watch as Hitler gains control of most of Europe; some will give up without a fight."

"Georg, I know there have always been wars but I was praying for the Great War being the last."

"Everyone has been doing the same; but evil is difficult to overcome. Let's go to bed and let our closeness clear our minds."

It did. They slept fairly well.


	36. Morning in the Marital Suite

Morning in the Marital Suite

Since Maria's maternity clothes hid her enlarging baby sac, no one except Maria and Georg knew how large it had become. Georg made a comment to Maria the next morning.

"I think it's time for you to get acquainted with a midwife."

"Maybe Maryann knows of one. We're meeting today to begin planning the end of the year party for Marta and Gretl's classes. I'll ask her."

"Great idea, I'm sure she can help you."

The couple had finished dressing and ate breakfast with the usual chatter from the children. Soon they were ready to leave and so was Georg.

Maria attended to a few chores before leaving to meet with Maryann. After their meeting the two ladies walked home together.

"Maria, this baby you're carrying is really getting big."

"Yes, I know. Georg noticed too and suggested I get to know a midwife. Do you know one?"

"Maria, here in America most women have their babies in a hospital so they can receive medicine to relieve their pain. But recently there has been a revival of having babies like their mothers did. But instead of having the birth at home there are now places called Birthing Centers.

"At these centers your husband can be at your side just as if you were at home. It's also nice because these centers have people who clean up afterwards; there quite a bit of fluid in your baby sac. You stay there for an hour after the baby is born; then you can go home.

"The center here in Ball is in a house near the library. You need to register with them so they have an idea of when you might have this baby."

"Thank you so much for telling me all this, I do want Georg by my side just like he was for all but one of his children."

The two ladies walked together until Maryann turned down a street towards her home and Maria continued on to hers. Now she was anxious for Georg to come home. She was waiting outside when he arrived.

He noticed her fuller smile before he embraced her. "Do you have something to tell me?"

"I do. Many women are having their babies in a hospital so they can be given medicine for the discomfort of childbirth. Luckily there's a place here in Ball where you can still be with me; they're called Birthing Centers."

"Do you know where it's located?"

"In a house near the library; Maryann suggested we go register soon."

"Yes we should."

Saturday was two days away. When Maria announced where they were going to visit this place called a Birthing Center, Gretl asked for everyone.

"Can we come too?"

"You can, but everyone will need to walk there. I'm driving us there. It's in a house near the library."

"Georg, I know where it is. I noticed it on one of my walks."

"That's good, Franz. After you leave, Maria and I will follow in the car."

Maria had to use the bathroom before they could leave. They arrived as the others were on the street with the library and the Birthing Center. Franz helped Maria from the car.

The couple went towards the home's door; Georg pushed on the doorbell. Within a few seconds an older woman opened it.

"May I help you?" She asked.

"Yes, my wife is pregnant. A friend told us about your Birthing Center; we came to register."

The lady smiled. "Maryann Adams stopped by and told us about you. You madam are Maria and you sir are Georg von Trapp who's working for our government. We have no one in labor so your children and friends can all come inside. And my name is Clara."

Georg didn't need to remind everyone to be quiet; they already were. Clara told them about the house.

"This was once a boarding house or some might call it a small hotel; that's why it has so many small rooms. This first room was the registration area. Now it's the waiting room for visitors.

"Everyone, children too, are allowed to visit you, Maria; but when the birth appears imminent only Georg can be with you."

"Clara, this is the right place for me to have this baby; Georg can be with me and none of our lady friends will need to cleanup afterwards. It's perfect."

"Do you have an idea when you might have your baby?"

"Georg and I think it will be in early June."

"Then you should definitely register. You can take the papers home to complete but do bring them back soon."

"I will. Our oldest daughter could return them on her way home from school."

"Just tell her to ring the bell. Someone will hear it and come to the door."

"I will. Thanks again for the visit."

"You're most welcomed. Goodbye."

The walkers started back to the house and as Georg drove away he heard. "I do hope I go into labor when you're home."

"If I'm not, just be sure and call me the moment you feel anything happening. Consult with Isabel if you're not sure."

"I will."

They arrived home and after Maria made a quick trip to the bathroom, she and Georg sat together and completed the paperwork.


	37. An Arrival

An Arrival

The next day began the same. The rising sun woke the couple and Kurt announced he was going to the kitchen and ask Katia for some juice.

"I suppose we should get dressed Maria."

"I need to use the bathroom before I can get dressed."

When she went to stand, her hands covered her large belly. "Georg, something's happening."

"What's happening?"

"I feel pressure between my legs."

"Sit on the bed while I get dressed." He didn't want to alarm her but he knew she was close to giving birth.

After he dressed, he went into the hall. He saw Liesl.

"Please go stay with your mom while I ask Franz to bring the car under the portico."

They both hurried to their destination. Liesl arrived in the suite to see her mom sitting on the side of the bed holding her belly.

"Are you going to have the baby today?"

"Yes, I just hope we make it to the Birthing Center in time."

In another few seconds Georg and Franz both arrived. "Maria, we're going to carry you to the elevator and then to the car. We've done this before." Georg didn't explain.

The men clasped hands to form a seat and immediately carried Maria down the hall to the elevator. The elevator moved slowly.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes."

As usual Stefan and Phillip were already awake. Stefan opened the car door; then Georg and Franz placed Maria on the seat. She was able to draw her legs into the car. By now Georg was in the driver's seat, he sped away towards town.

All the children were now awake and were in shock. "Grandma Isabel, is mommy going to have the baby today?"

"Yes Gretl she is."

Brigitta followed with another question. "Does it always happen so fast?"

"No, not at all; it usually takes a few hours. I'm going to call both of your schools and tell them you won't be there today. They will excuse your absence because your mom is going to give birth today."

"Thank you, I doubt any of us could have concentrated on school work."

Meanwhile, Georg had come to a screeching stop by the Birthing Center. A custodian was bringing out the trash; he immediately put the bags down and opened the center's door and yelled. "Need help out here."

The center's two nurses on duty came out and helped Georg carry Maria from the car to a birthing room. One of them recognized them.

"I know you visited the center recently. Is there anything we need to know?'"

"No, I've always been in good health."

Georg added. "This is our first baby."

"It may be your wife's first baby but her labor is more like it's her second or third."

Georg stepped out while the nurses help Maria out of her nightgown and into a birthing gown. He did hear.

"I have a lot of pressure between my legs."

"You're close to delivering this baby. Now step up on the stool and sit on the edge of the bed and then scoot back."

And Georg heard. "You can come in now and kneel behind your wife. You may want to take your shoes off."

Since Georg had done this before, he knew exactly what to do. He whispered. "It won't be too much longer sweetheart; I'll be with you all the way."

"Maria, I need you to place your feet far apart. A small piece of the bed folds down so I can deliver this baby. With each tightening of your baby sac I want you to push; the baby will move down a bit each time. Then relax until it happens again."

Maria had pushed several times; now she felt an excruciating need to push. "It won't be much longer Maria; one more push will deliver the baby's head."

She pushed a hard as she could and then felt instant relief. The nurse was now prepared to let Maria give one more push to complete the birth.

"Push again Maria and your baby will be born."

Suddenly, a cry of joy was heard. The baby had been born. "It's a boy, a big boy."

The nurse worked quickly to complete the delivery. And now the baby was raised so they had a good look at him.

Georg commented. "He sounds just like my younger son did when he was born."

The nurse placed him under heat lamps as she wiped him off with rags. Then he was wrapped in warm blankets and given to Georg to hold while Maria was attended to.

Before they left the center, the nurses helped Maria learn how to hold him and let him nurse.

"He did better than most newborns. He's not getting any milk yet. It should begin to come in tomorrow. Be sure and rotate breasts. Do you have help at home?"

"She does. Isabel knows all about newborns. She was with my first wife for the birth of our last five children. And I know our two oldest girls will help too."

"Give me time to complete the paperwork and you'll be ready to go home."

"Georg, everyone is going to be so surprised when we return so soon. I never told you I was born on a train."

"We're you really?"

"Yes, my mother had stayed with her family but my father needed to return to Vienna. The train's conductor assisted her to give birth to me. I'm so glad Isabel encouraged me to buy everything our baby needs last week.

The baby was dressed in a cotton shirt and a clean diaper. Then he was wrapped in a clean blanket and carried by one of the nurses while the other and Georg assisted Maria to the car.

After Maria was comfortably seated, the nurse placed the baby in Maria's arms. "Remember you can call us at any time if you have questions."

Georg added. "Maria and I thank you for your excellent care."

"It was our pleasure to assist your wife."

Georg drove away at a much slower speed than when they had arrived.

Franz heard the noise of a car in the foyer. _I wonder who came to visit._ He was speechless when he stepped out the door.

"Yes, Franz we're home with my third son. I need to take the baby from Maria so she can get out."

"Let me alert the others you're home."

He shouted into the house. "Georg and Maria are home."

There was a mass exit from the house; some used the foyer, others the front door. Exclamations were heard. "So soon! I can't believe it! And so many more similar exclamations were heard from the others.

Isabel came forward. "I'll hold the baby while Georg helps you out of the car."

Katia ran to the master suite to be sure everything was ready for both of them. She did need to put a protective pad for Maria to sit on. And she brought the cradle closer to the bed.

Maria was able to walk inside. Isabel followed with the baby. Once again they used the elevator. Georg didn't need to carry her. He did have his arm firmly around her waist as they walked together.

Isabel had to wait for the elevator to return before it took her up with the baby. The children had run up the stairs; they were all anxious to learn if they had a brother or a sister.

"Children, let me go in first."

She heard. "I need to use the bathroom first."

"Georg, I'll help her. You can tell the children they can visit soon."

After placing the baby in the cradle, Isabel helped Maria to the bathroom. "You will find you need to use the bathroom frequently for the next several hours. Your body needs to get rid of the extra fluid needed while you were pregnant. You can get up as long as someone is here with you. I also placed a box of pads in there."

"Thank you. Please tell Georg and the children they can come in now."

"Let me give you the baby first."

As soon as the doorknob moved Georg spoke. "Please enter quietly."

By now the door was wide-open, the children were quiet. They saw Maria holding a big bundle.

"Gather around the bed and you can have your first look at your big brother."

"We really have a brother mommy?"

"Yes, come closer Gretl and you can see his face."

"He's asleep."

"Can we see him too?"

"Of course you can."

"When will he wake up?"

"I don't know exactly; maybe when he gets hungry."

"Does he have a name?"

"Your mom and I are still deciding. I do know he won't be a junior. I told your mom their parents never used their real name, they were called junior."

"Children, your mom needs to feed the baby and will also need to use the bathroom again."

"And I need to call in to report my absence."

Georg and the children left the bedroom together. The older children were still in shock that the baby had been born so soon.

When Georg called to report his absence, he heard. _Stay home with Maria and your new son a few days._


	38. Chapter 38

Conclusion

John Robert became the diversion this family needed as war came to Europe and Austria had been swallowed up by Germany. President Roosevelt did his best to keep the United States military out of this war. It continued to supply the tools of war to Great Britain.

Hitler's aggression forced Britain, France, Australia and New Zealand to declare war on Germany.

These countries armies were not prepared for the war tactics the soldiers of Germany's forces used and countries fell like dominoes.

And in a matter of weeks Canada declared war on Germany and the Battle of the Atlantic began.

The event which changed everything was on a Sunday in December of 1941. The nation of Japan deceived the United States in thinking it wanted to remain neutral; instead it surprised everyone by bombing the U.S. Navy Base at Pearl Harbor in the Pacific Ocean.

President Roosevelt had no choice but to declare was on Japan. He had no idea that Germany would then declare war on the United States. World War II began.

Another baby, Susan Marie, joined John Robert in keeping this family happy until these wars ended. The war in Europe ended when Hitler took his own life and in quick succession all the German forces surrendered. The date was May 8, 1945.

The Japanese fought to the bitter end. Surrender came only after two powerful atomic bombs were dropped on two large cities. On August 14, 1945 Japan surrender their arms. The actual treaty to officially end the war was signed on September 2, 1945.

Georg's official duties as an aide to the Secretary of War also ended. He retired from the United States government with all the privileges of a Navy Commander.

Life was good, very good.

The End


End file.
